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UPPER    SNOQUAl.MIE    FALLS,     I20    FEET    HIGH. 


A  REPORT  ON  WASH- 
INGTON  TERRITORY 


BY 

W.    H.    RUFFNER,    LL.D. 


ILLUSTRATED 


NEW  YORK 
SEATTLE,  LAKE  SHORE  AND  EASTERN    RAILWAY 

1889 


Copyright,  1889 
By  Seattle,  Lake  Shore  and  Eastern  Railway 


PRESS   OF 
FLEMING  •  r.REWSTER   &    ALLEY  •   NEW    YORK 


PREFACE 

The  matter  of  this  Report  on  Washington 
Territory  is  so  arranged  that  the  reader,  by  re- 
ferring to  the  table  of  contents,  can  turn  at 
once  to  any  particular  topic.  The  report  is 
divided  into  six  chapters,  to  wit : 

First,  Itinerary,  which  mentions  briefly  the 
places  I  visited,  and  the  dates. 

Second,  A  General  Account  of  Washington 
Territory,  which  includes  something  of  its  His- 
tory, its  Location,  and  its  great  Pacific  Market. 
Under  the  last  of  these  heads  is  given  a  large 
body  of  facts  which  will  surprise  any  one 
who  has  not  studied  the  peculiar  commercial 
advantages  of  our  Pacific  States,  and  above 
all,  of  Puget  Sound.  There  is  also  given 
some  account  of  the  topography,  climate,  soils 
and  natural  vegetation,  with  special  stress  upon 
the  great  forests  of  the  Puget  Sound  basin. 
The  lumber  industry  is  next  described,  followed 
by  a  somewhat  full  account  of  agricultural  pro- 
ducts, especially  those  of  the  Great  Plain  of 
the  Columbia  River.     Finally,  in  this  division. 


2H6i)95 


4  PRE  FA  CE. 

something  is  said  of  the  available  labor  of  the 
country. 

Third,  Geology  of  Washington  Territory. 
In  one  division  I  endeavor  to  give  the  Historical 
and  Structural  Geology  of  the  Territory,  and  in 
another  division  I  give  the  Economic  Geology. 
In  the  latter  I  describe  the  beds  of  coal,  iron 
ore,  granite,  limestone  and  marble,  and  also  the 
ores  of  the  precious  and  base  metals  as  they 
have  been  discovered  in  all  parts  of  the  Terri- 
tory. 

Fourth,  the  special  interests  of  the  Seattle, 
Lake  Shore  and  Eastern  Railway  are  discussed. 
I  begin  with  Seattle,  to  show  its  advantages  as 
a  terminus.  I  then  say  something  of  the  ter- 
minal property  owned  by  this  Company,  and  of 
the  suburban  interests  of  many  kinds,  such  as 
residences,  parks,  gardens  and  industrial  works 
which  are  likely  to  grow  up  along  the  first 
twenty  miles  of  this  railway.  I  then  take  up 
the  great  timber  interest  along  the  line,  which, 
in  its  magnitude  and  value,  will  give  this  road 
pre-eminence  over  all  others.  The  agricultural 
products  along  the  line  are  next  spoken  of.  I 
then  take  up  the  great  coal  interest  which  will 
minister  so  largely  to  the  road  —  an  interest 
whose  magnitude  can  be  readily  inferred  from 
the  fact  that  this  railway  will  pass  through,  or 


PREFACE.  5 

near,  five  and  perhaps  six  distinct  coal  fields 
between  Puget  Sound  and  the  Columbia  River. 
I  next  show  the  advantages  which  this  road  will 
have  in  the  development  of  the  great  magnetic 
iron-ore  beds  on  both  sides  of  the  Cascade  Moun- 
tains, and  also  the  remarkable  juxtaposition  of 
ore,  flux  and  fuel,  which  are  found  in  the  Sno- 
qualmie  Valley.  Attention  is  also  called  to  the 
business  which  is  likely  to  arise  from  the  lime- 
stones, marble  and  granite  for  building  and  mon- 
umental purposes.  Finally,  I  call  attention  to 
the  great  advantage  which  this  road  will  have, 
or,  at  least,  may  have,  in  controlling  the  large 
and  increasing  business  connected  with  the 
mines  of  precious  and  base  metals,  which  are 
being  opened  north  and  east  of  this  line. 

Fifth,  Cities  and  Towns  are  briefly  noticed 
which  will,  or  may,  bear  an  important  relation 
to  the  Seattle  Road. 

Sixth,  a  supplementary  chapter,  giving  latest 
information. 

W.   H.  RUFFNER. 
Lexington,  Va. 


INDEX. 

PAGE 

ITINERARY 17 

Great  Plain,  17 — Cascade  Mountains,  17 — Hop  Ranch, 
17 — Snoqualmie  Pass,  18 — Guye  Mines,  18 — Mt.  Logan, 
18 — Denny  Mines,  19 — Salal  Prairie,  19 — Moss  Bay 
Co.,  19 — Raging  River,  20 — Oilman  Mines,  20 — Blake- 
ley  Mills,  20 — Wilkeson  Mines,  20 — Kirke's  Coal  Mines, 
21 — Portland,  23 — Spokane  Falls,  23 — Good  weather,  25. 
GENERAL  ACCOUNT  OF  WASHINGTON  TERRITORY     26 

Historical   .  .  .  .  .  .  .26 

Denny,  of  Denny  Mines,  26 — Causes  of  delay  in  settle- 
men,  26 — Population  of  Washington  Territory,  27. 

Location  and  Market      .  .  .  .  .27 

Majority  of  the  human  race  in  the  countries  of  the  Pacific, 
28 — Change  in  the  currents  of  trade,  28 — The  China 
trade,  29 — The  trade  of  the  Amoor  River,  Japan,  etc., 
31 — The  new  railroad  across  Siberia  to  St.  Petersburg, 
32 — The  American  Pacific  States  have  decisive  advan- 
tages over  all  others  in  controlling  the  Pacific  trade,  33 
— Advantages  in  distances,  34. 

Rough  Estimates  of  Distances   .  .  .  -34 

Advantage  in  productions,  36 — Coastwise  trade,  36 — 
South  American  trade,  36 — Large  existing  trade,  37 — 

Table — Ports  of  the  Pacific  showing  total  value  of  Exports 
of  Domestic  Merchandise  for  year  ending  June  30,  1885, 
June  30,  1887,  and  total  value  of  Imports  of  Merchan- 
dise for  year  ending  June  30,  1885,  June  30,  1887  .     38 

Principal  Exports  of  Domestic  Merchandise,  year 
ending  June  30,  1885    .  .  .  .  -39 

Appendix — List  of  Exports  of  Domestic  Merchandise,  year 
ending  June  30,  1885.  Exported  from  the  seven  Cus- 
toms Districts  of  the  Pacific,  39 — List  of  Imports  of 
Merchandise,  year  ending  June  30,  1885.  Imported 
into  the  seven  Customs  Districts  of  the  Pacific     .  .     41 

Approximate  Population  in  the  Year  1887  of  the  World    42 


INDE^. 

PAGE 
TOPOC.RAPHY    OF    WaSIUNOTON    TERRITORY  .  .       43 

Puget  Sound,  44 — Lake  Washington,  44 — West  Wash- 
ington and  East  Washington,  45 — Cceur  d'Alene  Moun- 
tains, 46 — The  Great  Plateau,  47 — Coulees,  47 — Colum- 
bia and  Snake  Rivers,  48. 

Altitudes  in  Washington  Territory     .  .  -49 

Climate        .  .  .  .  .  .  -49 

The  climate  of  Washington  Territory,  49 — Mild  and 
equable,  51 — Rainfall,  51 — No  blizzards  or  cyclones,  53 
— Differences  between  East  and  West  Washington,  53 — 
Chinook  wind,  55. 

Soils  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .55 

Soils  all  fertile,  55. 

Table  Showing  the   Means   of  the  Daily  Maximum 
AND  Minimum  Temperatures  in  degrees  Fahrenheit.     56 

Table  Showing  the  Average  Precipitation  at  Sta- 
tions of  the  Signal  Service    .  .  .  .57 
A  remarkable  soil,  fx). 

Natural  Vegetation  .  .  .  .  .61 

Vast  vegetation,  61 — Deciduous  trees,  62 — Larch,  62 — 
Extraordinary  evergreen  forests,  63 — Douglas  fir,  or 
Oregon  pine,  63 — The  best  of  ship  timber,  64 — White 
cedar,  65 — Beautiful  house  lumber,  65 — Hemlock  spruce, 
65 — Tanners  wanted,  66 — White  pine,  66 — Balsam  fir, 
66 — Large  supply  of  Canada  Balsam,  67 — The  yew,  67 
— The  superior  timber  of  Snoqualmie  Valley,  67 — Range 
for  horses  and  cattle,  69. 

Lumbering    .  .  .  .  .69 

Magnitude  of  the  lumber  business,  70 — Vast  extent  of 
the  lumber  market,  70 — The  great  saw-mills,  71 — Profits 
and  prices,  73. 

Agriculture  .  .  .  .  -73 

Clearing  the  land,  73 — Demand  for  agricultural  products, 
74 — Large  crops,  74 — Hop-growing  on  a  large  scale,  74 
The  changed  agricultural  conditions  of  East  Washington, 
75 — Irrigation  in  the  Yakima  Valley,  75 — Varied  crops, 


INDEX.  g 

PAGE 

77 — The  Great  Plain,  77 — Boundaries,  78 — Early  his- 
tory, 78 — Area  and  population,  79 — Amazing  wheat 
crops :  surpassing  all  other  States,  79 — Railroads  over- 
whelmed with  freight,  80 — Price  of  wheat  and  cost  of 
production,  81 — Also  barley  and  oats,  83 — The  soil  a 
natural  fertilizer,  84 — Quality  of  the  wheat,  84 — The 
market  in  England,  China,  and  other  Asiatic  ports,  85 — 
Astonishing  growth  of  vegetables,  85 — Crops  without 
rain,  86 — West  (not  East)  Washington  to  be  the  great 
cattle  country,  86 — Tree-planting,  87. 
Labor  .  .  .  .  .83 

Good  supply  of  labor,  but  more  wanted,  88 — Wages,  88. 

THE  GEOLOGY  OF  WASHINGTON  TERRITORY  .     90 

Historical  and  Structural         .  .  .  .90 

The  Western  Coast  regions  younger  than  the  Rocky 
Mountains  and  Appalachians,  91 — An  outlying  Conti- 
nent, 91 — The  rise  of  the  West  Coast,  92 — The  rocks 
and  minerals  of  the  Cascade  Mountains,  93 — The  meta- 
morphic  rocks  of  doubtful  origin,  93 — The  coal  beds,  94 — 
The  volcanic  mountains  and  their  great  activity,  95 — The 
wonderful  caiion  of  the  Columbia  River,  96 — The  great 
sheets  of  basalt,  96 — Origin  of  the  rich  soil  of  East  Wash- 
ington, 97 — The  volcanoes  not  wholly  extinct,  98 — 
Glacial  drift,  98. 

Economic  Geology  .  .  .  .  -99 

I.  Coal        .  .  .  .  .  .  .99 

Thickness  of  the  Coal  Measures,  99 — Fifteen  workable 
seams,  100 — Different  kinds  of  coal  described,  100 — The 
chemical  changes  in  coal  beds,  loi — Deficient  nomen- 
clature, 102 — Lignite  an  unsuitable  name  for  the  coals 
of  Washington  Territory,  103 — The  coking  quality  not 
general  in  these  coals,  but  found  in  some,  104 — Analyses 
of  Washington  Territory  coals,  106. 

The  Collieries        ...  .  .   106 

Authorities,  106. 

Analyses  of  Representative  Samples  of  Washington 
Territory  Coals  and  Lignites  .  .  .  107 

The  different  mines,  108. 


I  o  INDEX. 

PAGB 

a.  Carbon  River  Group       .....    io8 
Anthracite,  coking  and  gas  coals,  io8. 

b.  The  Green  River  Group  .  .  .  .no 
The  Common  Point,  equidistant  between  Tacoma  and 
Seattle,  in — Franklin  and  Black  Diamond  mines,  112 — 
The  Kirke  or  Moss  Bay  Company  (English)  mines,  112. 

c.  The  Cedar  River  Group  .  .  .  .  .117 
Cedar   River  mines,   117 — Talbot  and   Renton   mines, 

118 — Newcastle  Mine,  118 — Cost  of  mining,  119 — Large 
production,  119 — Misrepresentation,  120 — Correction  by 
Mr.  Whitworth,  122. 

d.  The  Squak  Creek,  Raging  River,  and  Snoqualmie  Group  125 
Gilman  Mines,  125 — Structure  of  Squak  Mountain,  125 — 
Peculiar  advantages  for  mining  possessed  by  the  Gilman 
Mines,  127 — ^Seattle  Coal  and  Iron  Company,  127 — 
Seven  seams,  128  —  Details,  128  —  Good  coal,  128 — 
Another  good  coal  seam,  128 — And  another,  129 — Large 
body  of  valuable  coal,  131 — Washington  Mines,  132 — 
Raging  River  coals,  132 — Details,  134  —  Snoqualmie 
Mountain  Coal  Group,  136 — Details,  136 — Good  coking 
coal,  136 — Also  good  coking  coal,  138 — Large  and  val- 
uable bed,  138 — Another  good  bed,  139 — Geological 
relations,  139 — This  the  bottom  group,  140. 

e.  The  Yakima  and  Wenatchie  Group         .  .  .140 
Yakima  or  Roslyn  coal   field,    140 — Coal  on  the  Wen- 
atchie, 141 — Coal  under  the  Great  Bend  country,  142. 

f.  Bellingham  Bay,  Skagit  River,  and  other  Coal  Fields    .   142 
The  first  mining  on  Bellingham  Bay,  142 — Coal  on  Skagit 
River,    142 — Coal   south   of   Puget  Sound,   144 — Total 
shipments  of  coal  from  Washington  Territory,  144. 

g.  Coal  Seams  in  British  Columbia.  .  .  .   145 
Coal  on  Vancouver's  Island,  145. 

II.   Iron  Ore  ......   146 

The  iron  ores,  146 — The  great  magnetic  ore  beds  of 
Cascade  Mountains,  147 — Resembles  the  Cranberry  ore 
deposits,    147 — Guye    Mine   on    Mount    Logan,    148 — 


INDEX.  I  I 

PAGE 
Denny  Mine,  149 — Chair  Peak,  or  Kelly  Mine,  149 — 
Middle  Fork  Mines,  150 — All  easily  reached  from  Se- 
attle, Lake  Shore  and  Eastern  Railway,  150 — Cle-ellum 
ore  beds,  150 — Burch's  ore  bed,  152 — Dudley  ore  bed, 
153 — Undoubtedly  larjje  beds  of  steel  ores,  153 — Of 
superior  quality,  153. 

Analyses  of  Snoqualmie  Iron  Ores       .  .  .154 

Proved  by  analysis  to  be  unsurpassed,  if  equalled,  155. 

Comparative  Analyses  of  Steel  Ores  .  .  -155 

Improved  processes,  156. 

III.  Granite,  Limestone  and  Marble  .  .  -157 
Granite,  157 — Marble  and  Limestone,  158. 

IV.  The  Precious  and  Base  Metals  .  i  -159 
Precious  metals  on  Cascade  Mountains,   159 — On  Cle- 
ellum  River,  160 — Large  copper  vein  in  Stevens  County, 

161 — Precious  metals  on  Methow  River,  161 — The  rich 
mines  of  Okanogan,  162 — The  mines  in  the  Colville 
region,  164 — The  Old  Dominion  Mine,  165 — The  Daisy 
Mine,  165 — Young  America  Company,  166 — The  Little 
Dalles,  166 — Cceur  d'Alene  Mines,  167 — The  large  ton- 
nage from  and  to  the  mines,  169. 

SPECIAL  REMARKS  ON  the  Country  and  its  Resources 
along  the  Line  of  the  Seattle,  Lake  Shore  and 
Eastern  Railway  .  .  .  .  .171 

Seattle         .  .  .  .  .  .  .171 

Commercial  and  manufacturing  advantages,  171 — Good 
climate,  171 — Good  population,  172 — High  civilization, 
172  —  Railroad  Hnes,  173  —  The  chief  ship-building  cen- 
tre, 174 — Seattle  better  located  than  San  Francisco,  174. 
The  Terminal  Property  of  the  Seattle,  Lake  Shore 
AND  Eastern  Railway  .  .  .  •  i75 

Unrivalled  terminal  property,  175. 
Suburban  Interests  .....  i75 

But  two  entrances  by  land,  175 — Superiority  of  the 
northern  suburbs,  175 — Factories  of  the  future,  176 — 
Ship  canal,  176. 


1 2  INDEX. 

PAGE 

Timber  .  .  .  .  .  •  .176 

Superiority  of  the  timber  on  the  Seattle,  Lake  Shore  and 
Eastern  Railway,  177 — The  forests  described,  178 — For- 
ests of  Raging  River,  17S — Forests  near  Hop  Ranch, 
1 79 — Superior  to  the  Long  Leaf  forests  of  the  Southern 
States  and  of  the  Mississippi  Bottom,  180 — Trees  ten 
feet  in  diameter,  180 — Average  nearly  five  feet  in  diam- 
eter and  250  feet  high,  181 — Lumber  product  per  acre,  181. 

Agricultural  Products  .....  183 
Agricultural  freights,  183 — Produce  of  Hop  Ranch,  183 
P'arming,  fruit  and  grazing  lands,  1S5 — Hops,  barley 
and  beer,  186 — The  two  great  railroads,  187 — The  Great 
Bend  country,  187  —  Douglas  County,  188  —  Lincoln 
County,  1S9 — Spokane  County,  189 — Price  of  farming 
lands,  189 — Tonnage.  190. 

Coal  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .191 

The  Seattle  railway  passes  five  coal  fields,  191 — Largest 
shipments  from  the  Oilman  Mines,  192 — Superior  mining 
advantages  of  the  Oilman  Mines,  193 — Mr.  Whitworth's 
testimony,  193 — Cost  of  mining  coal,  196 — Cost  at  Oil- 
man Mines,  197 — Prices  of  coal,  197. 

Iron  Ore      .......  199 

Handling  the  iron  ores,  199 — Furnace  sites,  199 — Salal 
Prairie,  200 — Charcoal  cheaply  produced,  200 — Quantity 
of  charcoal  to  the  ton  of  iron,  201 — Bessemer  ores  com- 
monly distant  from  fuel,  202 — High  cost  of  Lake  Su- 
perior ores,  203 — Cost  of  producing  ore  in  Pennsylvania, 
203 — Cost  of  Bessemer-pig  in  Snoqualmie  Valley,  203 — 
Large  market  for  steel  rails,  204. 

The  Other  Minerals         .....  204 
Limestone,  204 — Marble,  granite,  sandstones,  slates,  204 
— Precious  and   base   metals,  205 — Okanogan,  Colville 
and    Kootenai,   205 — Coeur   d'Alene,   206 — Transporta- 
tion lines  to  the  mining  regions,  206. 
CITIES    AND   TOWNS  .  .  .  .  .209 

The  only  competition  is  between  Tacoma  and  Seattle, 
209 — Advantages  of  Seattle,  210 — Towns  of  East  Wash- 
ington, 210 — Spokane  Falls  and  its  fine  prospects,  211 — 


INDEX.  1 3 

PAGE 
Mr.  Paul  F.   Mohr's  article,  211 — Sprague,  Colfax,  and 
Lewiston,   215 — Notes   on    the   Colfax   country,    216 — 
Lewiston,  217 — Walla  Walla,  217. 
Branches  and  Routes  for  the  Seattle,  Lake  Shore 
AND  Eastern  Railway  .  .  .  .218 

Railroad  branches,  218 — The  Palouse  country,  219 — 
Arguments  for  the  Palouse  branch,  220 — Manitoba  rail- 
road, 220. 

SUPPLEMENTARY   CHAPTER,    GIVING   LATEST    IN- 
FORMATION .  .  .  .  .  .222 

Rapid  growth  of  Seattle  and  Spokane  Falls,  222 — Change 
in  the  location  of  the  railroad,  222. 

Report    from   F.    H.    Whitworth,    Esq.,    Civil   and 
Mining  Engineer  on  Seattle,  Etc.    .  .  .  223 

Population  of  Seattle,  224 — New  manufacturing  estab- 
lishments, 224 — New  steamers,  224 — The  iron  company 
at  work,  225 — Coking  coals,  225 — New  discoveries  of 
iron  ore,  227 — Lumber  business  growing,  228 — Popula- 
tion and  freights  increasing,  228 — Labor  strike  at  Oilman 
Mine,  228 — Oilman  coal  seams,  229 — Progress  of  the 
West  Coast  Railroad,  229 — Resources  of  the  country 
along  the  new  line  across  Cady's  Pass,  230 — Progress  in 
building  the  road,  231 — Cable  Railway  in  Seattle,  231 — 
Southern  Pacific  Railroad  supposed  to  be  coming  to 
Seattle  Harbor,  231. 

Report   from  E.  A.  Routhe,  Esq.,  Concerning   Spo- 
kane Falls,  Etc.  ....  232 
Growth  of  Spokane  Falls,  232 — Prodigious  development 
of  the  mining  interest,  233. 

Report   from   Paul  F.   Mohr,  Esq.,  Concerning  the 
Cady's  Pass  and  Wenatciue  Route  .  .  234 

I.  Engineering  Features  .....  234 

Engineering  details  of  the  new  route,  234. 

II.  Resources  ......  236 

Mr.  Mohr's  account  of  the  resources  of  the  new  route     .   236 

III.  Scenery  ......  238 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS. 

UPPER  SNOQUALMIE  FALLS.     Frontispiece. 

LAKE    WASHINGTON— SHOWING    MOUNT    RANIER    IN 
THE   DISTANCE.     Facing  Page  44. 

A  VIEW  OF  THE  FOREST.     Facing  Page  62. 

INDIANS  GATHERING  HOPS.     Facing  Page  74. 

BRIDGE  OVER  THE  SPOKANE  RIVER.     Facing  Page  88. 

LOWER  SNOQUALMIE  FALLS.     Facing  Page  92. 

ENTRANCE  TO  OILMAN  COAL  MINE.      Facing  Page  106. 

COAL-BUNKERS  ON  SEATTLE  HARBOR.  Facing  Page  12S. 

A  TRAIN-LOAD  OF  LOGS.     Facing  Page  176. 

HAY-MAKING    IN    WASHINGTON    TERRITORY.     Facing 
Page  184. 

VIEW   OF     THE    CITY    OF     SPOKANE    FALLS.       Facing 
Page  210. 

VIEW  OF  SEATTLE  AND  THE  HARBOR.    Facing  Page  222. 


LIST  OF  MAPS. 

MAP  OF  ASIA  AND  PACIFIC  OCEAN.     Facing  Page  27. 

MAP  OF  WILKESON  COALFIELD.      Facing  Page  109. 

MAP  OF  THE  CITY  OF  SEATTLE.     Facing  Page  170. 

MAP  OF  SPOKANE  FALLS.     Facing  Page  232. 

MAP  OF  WASHINGTON    TERRITORY.     In  Pocket,  inside 
back  cover. 

MAP  OF  UNITED  STATES.      In  Pocket,  inside  back  cover. 


ITINERARY. 


Great  Plain. 


I  ENTERED  Washington  Territory^  by  way  of 
the  Northern  Pacific  Railroad,  on  the  morning 
of  October  27,  1887,  coming  first  to  the  valley 
of  the  Spokane  River,  and  spending  the  entire 
day  in  traversing  the  plains  of  Eastern  Wash- 
ington, reaching  Pasco  Junction  a  little  after 
nightfall.      I  crossed  the  Cascade  Mountains  on    cascade Moun- 

cj  tains. 

the  Switchback,  and  arrived  at  Tacoma  about 
noon  of  the  28th,  at  which  point  I  took  a  Puget 
Sound  steamer,  and  landed  at  Seattle  about  four 
P.M.  the  same  day.  The  next  morning,  accom- 
panied by  Mr.  F.  H.  Whitworth,  engineer,  and 
Mr.  P.  M.  Guye,  I  went  out  on  the  Columbia 
and  Puget  Sound  Railroad  to  the  end  of  the 
road,  near  Nev/castle,  where  we  took  horses, 
and  reached  Hop  Ranch,  on  the  Snoqualmie  Hop  Ranch. 
River,  the  same  night. 

October  30. — Proceeded  up  the  south  fork  of 
the  Snoqualmie  River,  and  reached  the  engi- 
neers' camp  near  the  top  of  Cascade  Mountain, 
at  Snoqualmie  Pass.  Distances  by  rail  and  by 
wagon  road :  Seattle  to  Coal  Creek,  near  New- 
castle, twenty  miles  ;  Coal  Creek  to  Squak  Val- 
ley, five  miles ;   Squak  to  Falls  City,  ten  miles  ; 


i8 


IVA  SUING  TON    TERRI  TOR  V. 


Snoqualraie 
Pass. 


Guye  Mines. 


Mt.  Logan. 


Falls  City  to  Plop  Ranch  (or  Snoqualmie)  six 
miles  ;  Hop  Ranch  to  Engineers'  Camp,  twenty- 
six  miles ;  Camp  to  Summit,  five  miles. 

The  railroad  on  which  I  left  Seattle  is  a  nar- 
row-eausre  coal  road.  Between  its  terminus  and 
Squak  X'^allcy  is  a  high  mountain  spur.  The 
proportion  of  cleared  land  along  this  whole  line 
is  not  large  in  comparison  with  the  forests  of 
evergreen  timber,  but  there  are  many  farms  of 
great  fertility,  some  of  them  large.  The  timber 
increases  in  quantity  and  size  nearly  to  the  top 
of  the  mountain.  On  these  points  I  shall  speak 
fully  hereafter.  My  object  in  thus  hastening 
to  the  Cascade  Mountains  was  to  make  my  ob- 
servations first  at  the  point  where  I  was  most 
likely  to  be  interrupted  by  bad  weather.  I 
found  the  engineers,  headed  by  Mr.  Thompson, 
busily  engaged  in  making  the  location  of  the 
railroad,  beginning  at  Snoqualmie  Pass  (the 
summit),  and  working  westward  and  down- 
ward, so  as  to  connect  with  their  finished  work 
in  the  neighborhood  of  Hop  Ranch. 

Spending  the  night  of  October  30  at  the 
camp,  I  went  next  morning  to  the  Guye  Iron 
Mines,  which  were  one  mile  from  the  fine  of 
the  railroad.  The  outcrops  of  ore  and  lime- 
stone lie  hio;h  on  a  mountain,  which  I  named 
Mount  Logan,  in  honor  of  General  T.  M.  Logan, 


WASHINGTON   TERRITORY. 


19 


who  seems  to  have  been  among  the  first  of  the 
Eastern  men  to  put  faith  in  the  resources  of  this 
remarkable  region.  I  returned  in  the  evening 
to  the  engineers'  camp. 

The  next  day,  November  i,  I  spent  visiting 
the  Denny  Mine,  two  miles  from  the  railroad  Denny  Mine. 
line,  and  also  high  on  a  mountain,  and  again 
returned  to  camp.  The  Chair  Peak  Mine  (also 
called  the  Kelley  Mine),  thirteen  miles  distant 
from  the  railroad,  and  Guye's  Mine  on  Middle 
Fork  Mountain,  six  miles  distant,  I  did  not 
visit,  owing  to  want  of  time. 

November  2. — First  rain.  We  returned  down 
the  mountain,  and  stopped  for  an  hour  at  Salal  saiai  Praine. 
Prairie,  where  we  found  a  large  camp  occupied 
by  the  employees  of  the  Moss  Bay  Iron  and 
Steel  Company,  of  England,  who  expected  to 
build  iron  furnaces  on  this  admirable  location.* 
This  night  we  spent  at  Hop  Ranch,  a  descrip- 
tion of  which  is  given  hereafter. 

November  3. — Spent  the  most  of  this  day  in 
examining  the  coking  coal  beds  on  Snoqual- 
mie  Mountain,  three  miles  from  Hop  Ranch, 
and  reached  Falls  City  that  night,  pausing  by 
the  way  to  look  upon  that  wonderful  sight,  the 
Snoqualmie  River  Falls,  267  feet  high. 


Moss  Bay  Co. 


*  This  wealthy  company  has  since  determined   to  establish   its 
works  on  Lake  Washington,  at  Kirkiand. 


20 


WA  SUING  TON   TEKRI  TOR  V. 


November  4. — Left  the  line  of  the  railroad 
Raging  River,  aiici  wcot  up  Raging  River  ten  miles,  where  I 
visited  the  coal  openings,  and  spent  the  night 
at  the  miners'  camp.  The  Raging  River  valley 
and  mountain-sides  are  covered  with  large 
timber. 

November  5. — Descended  Raging  River  val- 
ley six  miles  to  the  line  of  the  railroad,  which 
Oilman  Mines,  wc  followcd  to  thc  Gilman  Coal  Mines,  on 
Squak,  passing  a  bed  of  ochreous  earth,  which 
might  have  value  for  paint,  and  may  lead  to  a 
bed  of  iron-ore. 

At  Camp  Gilman  I  looked  at  all  the  open- 
ings which  were  accessible,  and  observed  the 
preparations  making  for  large  mining.  Spent 
the  night  at  Tibbett's  in  Squak  Valley,  two 
miles  distant. 

November  6. — Returned  to  Seattle. 

November  7. — In  Seattle. 

November  o. — Crossed  Puget  Sound  to  the 
Biakeiey  Mills,   grcat  Blakclcy  Lumber  Mills,  and  also  examined 
Mrs.  Guye's  large  collection  of  the  minerals  of 
Washington  Territory, 

November  9. — Made  short  excursions  in  and 

around  Seattle,  including  a  trip  on  the  Seattle, 

Lake    Shore    and    Eastern    Railway,    fourteen 

miles  out. 

wiikeson  Mines.       Novcmbcr  I o. — Wcut  to  thc  Wilkeson  Coal 


WASHINGTON    TERRITORY.  2  1 

Mines,  where  I  found  the  only  coke  ovens  I 
saw  in  the  Territory. 

November  1 1 . — Returned  to  Seattle  by  way 
of  Tacoma,  where  I  met  Mr.  Peter  Kirke,  the 
partner  and  agent  of  the  Moss  Bay  Company, 
who  is  preparing  to  erect  a  steel  plant ;  but 
whether  he  intended  to  build  at  Salal  Prairie  or 
at  Cle-elum,  I  could  not  ascertain.  In  fact,  I 
am  not  sure  that  he  had  then  determined  in  his 
own  mind. 

November  12. — Excursions  around  Seattle, 
especially  around  the  borders  of  the  lakes. 

November  13. — The  first  Sunday  I  have  been 
able  to  observe  like  a  Christian. 

November  14  and  15. — Collecting  informa- 
tion and  constructing  maps. 

November  16. — Out  on  the  line  of  the  S.  L. 
S.  &  E.  Railway  eighteen  miles. 

November  i  7. — To  Kirke's  Coal  Mines  on 
Green  River.  By  rail  as  far  as  the  Franklin  '^''""• 
Coal  Mines,  passing  the  Rcnton,  Cedar  Moun- 
tain and  Black  Diamond  mines.  At  Franklin 
Mines,  took  horses  to  the  Green  River  Mines, 
seven  miles,  where  we  spent  the  night  at  Mr. 
Kirke's  camp. 

November  18. — Last  evening  and  to-day,  ex- 
amined all  the  openings  on  Mr.  Kirke's  prop- 
erty, and  one  opening  on   Section   34,   Sugar- 


Kirke's  Coal 


22  WASHINGTON   TERRITORY. 

Loaf  Mountain,  owned  by  Mr.  Whitworth  and 
others;  and  took  the  Northern  Pacific  Railroad 
cars  at  the  Common  Point,  and  got  back  to 
Seattle  the  same  night. 

November  19. — In  Seattle  working  on  maps. 

November  20. — Sunday. 

November  21, — Remained  in  Seattle. 

November  22. — Went  to  Portland,  Oregon. 
I  will  here  say  that  Mr.  F.  H.  Whitworth  ac- 
companied me  on  all  my  trips  away  from  Seattle, 
and  superintended  the  construction  of  my  large 
maps,  which  were  made  in  his  own  office.  I 
found  him  a  most  obliging  gentleman,  and  ex- 
ceedingly well  informed  about  the  country.  He 
was  untiring  also  in  collecting  for  me  such  in- 
formation as  he  did  not  already  possess.  Judge 
Burke,  Mr.  Leary,  Mr.  Mackintosh,  Governor 
Squire,  Judge  Lewis,  Dr.  Minor  (the  Mayor), 
etc.,  were  exceedingly  attentive.  Judge  Burke 
especially  so.  Other  citizens,  such  as  Chancel- 
lor Jones,  ex-Governor  Ferry,  Mr.  Arthur  A. 
Denny  (the  oldest  citizen  on  Puget  Sound),  Mr. 
F.  M.  Guye,  Dr.  Gumming,  Mr.  Haller,  etc., 
were  cordial,  and  ready  to  do  me  any  service. 
Indeed,  the  citizens  of  Seattle,  so  far  as  I 
became  acquainted  with  them,  showed  them- 
selves in  enthusiastic  sympathy  with  the  new 
railroad  enterprise. 


WASHINGTON    TERRITORY.  23 

November  23. — Spent  the  day  in  visiting  the  ronianci. 
Oswego  Iron  Works,  six  miles  from  Portland, 
in  company  with  Mr.  S.  G.  Reed,  president  of 
the  Oregon  Iron  and  Steel  Company.  The 
only  point  of  special  interest  connected  with 
these  unfinished  iron-works,  is  that  Mr,  Reed  is 
looking  forward  impatiently  to  the  progress  of 
the  S.  L.  S.  &  E.  road,  expecting  to  receive 
from  it  magnetic  ore  for  mixture,  also  limestone 
and  coke. 

November  24. — Ascended  the  Columbia  Riv- 
er by  steamer,  with  six  miles  of  portage,  to  the 
Dalles,  where  I  took  the  Northern  Pacific  train 
for  Spokane  Falls,  having  daylight  from  Pasco 
Junction. 

November  25. — Nothing  could  be  more  un- 
just to  the  country  than  the  location  of  the 
Northern  Pacific  Railroad,  which  runs  most  of 
the  way  to  Spokane  Falls  in  a  coiiUe  (or  dry 
river  bed),  which  completely  hides  most  of  the 
farming  land  from  the  traveler. 

November  26. — In  Spokane  Falls,  which  I 
found  to  be  a  rapidly  growing  city  of  7,000  to 
8,000  people,  who  arc  pressing  the  interests  of 
the  town  with  amazing  energy.  Mr.  Routhe, 
president  of  the  Board  of  Trade  ;  Mr.  Cannon, 
president  of  the  Bank  of  Spokane  Falls ;  Mr. 
Paul  F.  Mohr,  Mr.  Curtis,  Mr.  Nash,  and  quite 


Spokane  Falls 


A  GENERAL    ACCOUNT    OF  WASH- 
INGTON TERRITORY. 


Denny,  of 
iJcnny  Rlincs. 


Causes  of  delay 
in  settlement. 


HISTORICAL. 

The  first  white  man  who  ever  settled  near  the 
site  of  Seattle  (Mr.  Arthur  A.  Denny)  now 
lives  in  that  city,  and  can  scarcely  be  called  an 
old  man.  The  country  remained  unsettled  so 
long,  partly  because  of  its  inaccessibility  from 
the  East,  and  partly  because  it  was  disputed 
territory  between  the  United  States  and  Great 
Britain.  It  became  a  separate  Territory  only 
in  1853.  No  trans-continental  line  of  railroad 
touched  any  part  of  Washington  Territory  un- 
til four  years  ago,  when  the  Northern  Pacific 
passed  across  the  eastern  part  of  the  Territory, 
and  united  with  the  road  along  the  Columbia 
River,  which  had  been  built  by  the  Oregon  Rail- 
way and  Navigation  Company,  and  which  had 
barely  entered  this  Territory.  Following  this 
line  to  Portland,  Oregon,  and  then  completing 
the  road  from  Portland,  northward,  the  railroad 
reached  Puget  Sound  at  Tacoma  by  this  cir- 
cuitous route  in  1883. 

The  Northern  Pacific  Railroad  has,  during 
the  present  year  (1887),  succeeded  in  reaching 
Tacoma  by  a  more  direct,  though  still  angular, 


I'FA  SUING  TON    TERRITOR  Y. 


27 


line,  crossing  the  Cascade  Mountains  at  Stam- 
pede Pass. 

Whilst  thus  comparatively  unknown  and  in- 
accessible, it  is  not  surprising  that  population 
should  at  first  come  in  slowly.  Those  who 
came  to  Western  Washington  were  chiefly  lum- 
bermen. Since  that  time  farmers  have  settled 
large  tracts  of  country,  commerce  has  become 
large,  and  now  every  interest  is  going  forward 
with  great  rapidity. 

The  population  in  1880  was  67,000.  Gov-  Population  of 
ernor  Semple,  in  his  report  for  1887,  P^ts  the  Terr'i"o.V"" 
population  at  143,669,  which  shows  a  gain  in 
seven  years  of  over  100  per  cent.  But  the  Gov- 
ernor himself  declares  that  the  enumerations 
made  since  1880  are  unreliable,  and  it  is  claimed 
by  intelligent  gentlemen  in  Seattle  that  the 
present  population  exceeds  175,000.  It  is 
increasing  rapidly  day  by  day.  The  fact  seems 
suddenly  to  have  burst  upon  the  country  at  large 
that  here,  in  this  neglected  corner,  is  a  wide  re- 
gion offering  perhaps  the  richest  inducements 
to  immigration  of  any  part  of  the  United 
States. 

LOCATION   AND    MARKET. 
(This  should  be  read  with  a  map  of  Asia  and  Pacific  Ocean.) 

In  spite  of  Oriental exclusiveness,  now  broken 
down,  the  Asiatic  trade  has  always  formed    a 


/  VA  SUING  TON   TERjRJ  TOR  Y. 


Majority  of  the 

human  race  in 

the  countries  of 

the  Pacific. 


Change  in  the 

currents  of 

trade. 


lar^e  clement  in  the  commerce  of  the  world,  and 

o 

has  long  been  sought  by  the  great  maritime 
powers  of  Europe,  especially  by  England.  For 
this  she  conquered  India,  and  seized  upon  many 
islands  of  the  ocean.  For  this  she  battered  in 
the  gates  of  China,  and  established  herself  per- 
manently at  Hong  Kong,  at  the  entrance  to  the 
River  of  Canton. 

In  these  countries,  and  upon  these  islands, 
live  more  than  half  the  human  race,  and  with  all 
the  barbarism  of  some,  and  the  old-fashioned 
civilization  of  even  the  best,  the  large  majority 
of  these  people  are  producers  of  a  multitude  of 
articles  wanted  by  the  civilized  world.  And  of 
late  these  peoples  have  become  possessed  with  a 
strange  desire  to  avail  themselves  of  the  pro- 
ducts of  European  and  American  art.  This 
market  will  not  only  grow  rapidly  in  its  de- 
mands, but  the  currents  of  trade  will  be  diverted 
from  Europe  to  America.  In  fact,  the  settle- 
ment of  the  west  coast  of  America  inaugurated  a 
revolution  greater  than  that  which  substituted 
the  voyage  around  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope  for 
the  camel  train  across  the  Asiatic  continent.  It 
gave  America  a  standpoint  from  which  she 
would  ultimately  wrest  the  bulk  of  the  vast  trade 
of  the  Orient  from  Europe.  The  cutting  of 
the   Suez  Canal  mended  the  hold  of  England 


WASHINGTON   TERRITORY. 


29 


and  other  maritime  European  states  on  the 
Oriental  market,  in  fact  secured  for  them  the 
advantage  of  a  shorter  hne  to  the  Southern  Asi- 
atic market  as  far  as  the  Malay  Peninsula  ;  but 
as  for  the  rest  of  that  great  market  included  in 
the  Pacific  Islands,  the  Chinese  Empire,  Japan 
and  Siberia,  the  revolutionary  movement  has 
commenced,  whereby  the  bulk  of  that  trade  will 
be  taken  from  England  and  Holland  by  the 
merchants  of  San  Francisco  and  Puget  Sound. 
The  trade  of  China  alone  has  been  estimated 
at  $130,000,000  per  annum,  the  greater  part  of  TheChinatrade 
which  is  absorbed  by  England,  and  the  annual 
value  of  the  export  and  import  trade  of  England 
with  the  Pacific  Islands  has  been  put  at  $75,- 
000,000.  This  already  immense  market  may 
and  will  be  enlarged,  especially  in  China,  by 
means  of  railroad  and  steamboat  connections, 
which  will  bring  to  the  coast  the  products  of  the 
interior  sections.  Much  of  the  China  trade  now 
goes  overland  into  and  through  India,  and  also 
through  Siberia,  to  be  consumed  by  the  way,  or 
pushed  through  to  the  termini  of  European  rail- 
roads and  ship-lines  which  are  reaching  to  get  it. 
And,  as  the  transportation  becomes  better,  so 
will  the  production  increase.  Railroad  building, 
until  lately  forbidden  in  China,  has  now  com- 
menced, and  will,  in  the  nature  of  the  case,  go 


30 


JFA  SHING  TON    TERR  I  TOR  V. 


on  rapidly.  The  result  will  be  to  bring  most  of 
the  trade  to  the  Pacific  coast,  and  thus  reverse 
all  the  interior  movements. 

Even  the  capital  of  the  Empire,  the  great 
Peking,  and  the  productive  region  around  it, 
have  depended  largely  on  the  overland  trade  to 
Europe,  and  especially  on  the  great  Russian 
market  opened  annually  at  Novgorod.  It 
only  needs  a  railroad  from  the  back  country, 
through  Peking  direct  to  the  coast,  to  bring 
this  large  trade  under  American  control.  Mr. 
James  G.  Swan  (Hawaiian  Consul)  has  written 
a  valuable  pamphlet  on  the  regions  drained  by 
the  Amoor  River,  in  which  he  shows  that  there 
is  an  immense  trade  "  now  lying  dormant  in  Si- 
beria, Mongolia,  Manchooria,  Northern  China, 
Corea  and  Japan,  which  will  be  brought  into 
active  life  and  diverted  to  the  American  shore 
of  the  North  Pacific  Ocean  by  the  great  conti- 
nental railroads  which  will  have  the  outlet  of 
their  commerce  through  the  Straits  of  Fuca" 

He  gives  the  population  of  these  countries 
as  follows : 

Siberia      ......  4,000,000 

Mongolia       .....  12,000,000 

Manchooria      .....  5,000,000 

Japan    ......  36,000,000 


Total      ....  57,000,000 


WASHINGTON    TERRTTORY.  3  I 

The  Amoor  River,  with    its   great    Chinese  The  trade  of  the 

,  .  Amoor  River, 

tributary,  the  bongaree,  furnishes  over  2,600  japan,  etc. 
miles  of  steamboat  navigation  (a  seeond  Missis- 
sippi), but,  owing  to  a  great  bend  to  the  south, 
the  Amoor  can  be  reached  by  a  short  line  of 
railroad  from  the  Russian  port  Vladivostock, 
or  Poisette  Harbor.  Japan  lies  on  the  way 
from  Puget  Sound  to  the  region  referred  to. 
Major  Collins,  some  years  ago,  said  in  a  letter 
to  Secretary  Marcy  concerning  this  market : 
"One  item,  cotton  fabrics,  might  be  introduced 
to  the  amount  of  millions  yearly ;  then  there  are 
many  products  of  these  countries  that  could  be 
received  in  exchange.  This  must  be  done 
through  the  Amoor  and  its  affluents.  It  can 
hardly  be  estimated  what  a  revolution  in  trade 
and  commerce  can  be  effected  in  this  region  ; 
and  the  fondness  of  the  people  for  luxuries  and 
foreign  merchandise  being  very  great,  if  the 
means  of  procuring  them  were  facilitated  and 
the  prices  cheapened,  the  consumption  would  be 
immense,  and  in  a  few  years  a  trade  of  many 
millions  would  be  effected." 

Major  Collins  thought  that  these  people 
would  consume  annually  five  dollars  per  head 
of  American  goods  ;  Mr.  Swan  estimates  two 
dollars  per  head.  These  goods  would  be  paid 
for  in    silks,   tea,  rice,   furs,   skins,  wax,   fossil 


32 


WA  SUING  TON   TERRITOR  V. 


ivory,  plumbago,  tin,  precious  stones,  naval 
stores,  etc.  It  is  said  that  the  overland  trade  of 
North  China  to  Russia  now  requires  for  its 
transportation  a  caravan  line  of  36,000  camels 
and  bullocks,  and  100,000  horses,  and  that 
the  Siberian  trade  is  as  large  as  that  of  Chirii;. 
The  tea  sold  at  Novgorod  amounts  to  $5,000,- 
000  each  annual  fair.  The  caravan  tea  is  pre- 
ferred to  the  ship  tea,  which  is  said  to  be 
injured  by  the  voyage  through  the  tropics ; 
another  argument  for  the  North  American 
route. 
The  new  railroad       Sincc  Mr.  Swan's  pamphlct,  the  news  comes 

across  Siberia  to       ,  ,  -p-k  •  /^  •  •         i 

St.  Petersburg,  that  thc  Russiau  Government  is  now  actively 
engaged  in  building  a  railroad  from  St.  Peters- 
burg across  Siberia  to  Vladivostock  on  the  Ja- 
pan Sea ;  and  the  expectation  is  general  that 
this  imperial  power  will  seize  Corea  so  as  to 
bring  the  terminus  of  her  railroad  to  Ninsen  at 
the  south  point  of  Corea,  All  the  great  trade 
which  will  thus  be  developed  is  in  addition  to 
the  existing  trade  of  China  and  the  Islands,  and 
will  probably  swell  the  China,  Japan  and  Rus- 
sian trade  to  over  $200,000,000,  to  which  is  to 
be  added  the  Australian  and  Island  trade,  which 
already  is,  no  doubt,  over  $100,000,000. 

Now  comes  the  practical  question,  Who  are  to 
handle  this  vast  trade  of  $300,000,000  annually  ? 


WASHINGTON   TERRITORY.  33 

No   one   nation    exclusively,    of   course.     The    The  American 

-'  Pacific  States 

Dutch  and  other  small  powers  will  have  a  little  vanLjesoveAli 
of  it ;  but  the  only  contest  will  be  between  Eng-  troiifng'the"pa- 
land  and  the  American  Pacific  Coast.  England 
has  the  lion's  share  now,  but  this  great  nation 
'vill  hereafter  labor  under  too  many  disadvan- 
tages in  its  contest  with  America.  America  has 
the  needful  capital,  material,  pluck  and  energy, 
and  enjoys  certain  decisive  advantages,  as,  for 
example — i.  In  distance,  which  of  itself  would 
in  this  case  decide  the  matter ;  2.  In  the  local 
production  of  certain  staple  articles  which  will 
be  in  great  demand,  and  which  England  cannot 
supply  so  cheaply,  if  at  all,  such  as  lumber, 
meats,  flour,  canned  goods,  cheap  cottons,  and 
agricultural  and  other  machinery,  which,  if  not 
cheaper,  can  be  more  readily  adapted  to  the 
wants  of  the  market;  3.  In  possessing  the  back 
country  of  Eastern  America,  whereby  the  en- 
tire United  States  become  tributary  both  ways 
to  the  Pacific  commerce;  to  which  may  be  added, 
4.  The  ever-flowing  river  in  the  Pacific  Ocean, 
flowing  in  a  circle  from  Japan  to  the  American 
coast  and  back  —  the  famous  Kuro  Shiwo,  or 
Japanese  current ;  a  current  which  gives  a  gain 
to  every  ship  of  twenty  miles  a  day  in  distance ; 
the  current  which  brings  the  disabled  Japanese 
junks  to  the  American  coast. 


34 


IV A  SHING  TON    TERR  I  TOR  V. 


The  half-way  point  on  the  Pacific  side  be- 
tween America  and  England  is  the  Malay  Pen- 
insula. This  leaves  even  Australia  and  all  of 
Oceanica  nearer  to  us  than  to  Eno-land,  and  all 

Advantage  in  "-" 

distances.  ^f  Chlua,  Japan  and  Siberia  thousands  of  miles 
nearer  to  us.  Hong  Kong  and  Canton  are  the 
English  headquarters  in  China,  and  yet  our  Pa- 
cific coast  is  5,000  miles  nearer  to  these  than 
England  is.  It  is  also  6,500  miles  nearer  to 
Shanghai,  which  is  a  more  important  port  than 
Canton,  because  of  its  greater  nearness  to  the 
rice  and  tea  producing  sections.  The  advan- 
tages are  still  greater  in  respect  to  Peking,  Ja- 
pan, Vladivostock,  the  terminus  of  the  project- 
ed Russian  railway,  and  the  entire  country 
drained  by  the  Amoor.  Our  commerce  is  now 
within  thirty  days  of  the  coast  of  China,  and 
will  be  in  less  than  ten  days  when  the  fast 
mail  and  express  and  passenger  steamers  are 
launched.  I  insert  a  table  of  distances,  which 
is  full  of  significance. 

ROUGH    ESTIMATES   OF   DISTANCES. 

MILES 

Pnget  Sound  to  mouth  of  Amoor  River    .         .  3,900 

"  **       "   Vladivostock        ....  4,700 

"  "       "   Shanghai  ....  5,750 

"  "       "   Canton 6,500 

"  "       "    Singapore         .         .         .         .  8,100 

"  "       "    S.  W.  point  of  Australia      .         .  9,550 


WA  SHING  TON    TERRITOR  V. 


35 


San    Francisco   to    Vladivostock 

MILES 

5,200 

"             "           "     Shanghai        .... 

6,100 

"             "           "     Canton       .... 

6,800 

"             "           "     Singapore      .... 

8,400 

"             "           "     S.  W.  point  of  Australia  . 

9,500 

"             "           "     St.  Petersburg  via  Vladivostoc 

■:  9,700 

St.  Petersburg  to  Vladivostock         .         .         . 

4,500 

San  Francisco  to  Calcutta    ..... 

10,200 

Liverpool  to  mouth  of  Amoor  River 

13,550 

"           "     Vladivostock          .... 

12,700 

"           "     Shanghai   ..... 

11,750 

"          "     Canton 

10,900 

"           "     S.  AV.  point  of  Australia 

10,750 

"           "     Singapore       ..... 

9,300 

"           "     Calcutta 

8,700 

Liverpool  and  Puget  Sound  are  about  equally 
distant  from  west  coast  of  the  Malay  Penin- 
sula. 

MILES 

New  York  to  Canton,  via  Puget  Sound         .         .     9,500 
"  Shanghai  "       "         "         .    7,800  to  8,000 

By  this  it  will  be  seen  that  New  York,  by 
way  of  Puget  Sound,  is  1,400  miles  nearer  to 
Canton  than  Liverpool  is,  and  nearly  4,000 
miles  nearer  to  Siianiihai.  Mr.  Swan  makes  the 
distance  from  the  Pacific  coast  less  than  I  have 
given.  It  should  also  be  noted  that  Puget 
Sound  has  the  advantage  of  distance  over  San 
Francisco  also. 

Puget  Sound  has  also  the  advantage  over  all 


36  WASHINGTON    TERRITORY. 


Advantage  in     coiTipctitors  of  bcinor  ablc  to  produce  a  lars^e 

productions.  '  01  C3 

bulk  of  the  materials  for  commerce  in  its  own 
vicinity.  In  this  report  there  will  be  a  large  ar- 
ray of  facts  concerning  the  present  and  future 
productions  of  Washington  Territory,  which  will 
amply  confirm  and  illustrate  the  above  state- 
ment. The  only  real  competitor  of  Puget 
Sound  on  the  American  coast  is  British  Colum- 
bia, but  British  Columbia  cannot  vie  with 
Washington  Territory  in  the  production  of  the 
materials  of  commerce,  and  Canada  at  large 
furnishes  no  such  background  as  the  United 
States. 

Coastwise  trade.  It  wlll,  of  coursc,  uot  bc  ovcrlookcd,  that  in 
the  great  coastwise  trade  which  the  Pacific 
States  have  and  must  always  have  with  each 
other,  they  will  minister  to  each  other's  prosper- 
ity. And  here  it  will  be  shown  that  Puget 
Sound  will  have  the  advantage  in  supplying  the 
wants  of  others. 

South  American  In  addltlou  to  thcsc  is  the  foreign  trade  alona^ 
the  coast  of  British  Columbia,  Mexico,  Central 
America,  and  all  the  Pacific  States  of  South 
America.  Chili  is  a  prosperous  State.  She  has 
nearly  doubled  the  volume  of  her  trade  in  ten 
years.  From  1874  to  1883  her  exports  went 
up  from  $32,000,000  to  $73,000,000,  and  her 
imports  from  $35,000,000  to  $50,000,000.    The 


trade. 


WASHINGTON    TERRITORY.  2>7 

United  States  imports  over  $4,000,000  of  goods 
from  the  Pacific  side  of  South  America,  and  ex- 
ports about  $8,000,000  to  these  states.  Eng- 
land, however,  gets  the  most  of  the  West  South 
American  trade,  so  that  here  again  we  must  en- 
ter the  hsts  with  Britannia.  Already  the  con- 
test has  begun,  and  our  Pacific  States  must  bear 
off  the  palm  sooner  or  later. 

Thus  it  is  evident  that  a  vast  field  of  com- 
mercial enterprise  is  wide  open  to  the  peo- 
ple of  Washington  Territory  as  well  as  to 
Oregon  and  California.  And  our  commer- 
cial statistics  show  what  handsome  progress 
has  already  been  made.  Taking  both  ex-  ^TraS'"^ 
ports  and  imports,  there  is  already  a  business  of 
$80,000,000  done  by  the  seven  Pacific  ports  of 
entry.  San  Francisco  is  now  far  ahead  of  the 
others,  and  this  city  has  nothing  to  fear  from 
any  other  port  except  Puget  Sound,  which  will 
gain  upon  her  rapidly  and  ultimately  surpass 
her.  Washington  Territory  has  all  that  Califor- 
nia has  on  which  to  trade,  and  a  great  deal  be- 
sides; and  has  the  advantage  of  position.  When 
our  commercial  statistics  were  made  up,  Puget 
Sound  had  no  direct  railroad  communication 
with  her  own  back  country  east,  much  less  a 
trans-continental  line.  A  very  different  story 
will  be  told  a  few  years  hence.     I  here  insert 


OW^iTiC^r:: 


38 


WA  SHING  TON    TERR  I  TOR  Y. 


a  table  of  summaries  which  show  that  the  com- 
mercial revolution  is  now  in  operation. 


PORTS 
OF  THE  PACIFIC. 

TOTAL   VALUE   OP 

EXTORTS  OF  DOMESTIC 

MERCHANDLSE 

FOR  YEAR  ENDING 

TOTAL  VALUE   OF 

IMPORTS  OF 

MERCHANDISE 

FOR  YEAR  ENDING 

JUNE  30, 
1885. 

JUNE  30, 
1887. 

JUNE  30, 
1885. 

JUNE  30, 
1887. 

Humboldt,  Cal 

Oregon 

Puget  Sound,  W.  T.      .     .     . 

San  Diego,  Cal 

San  Francisco,  Cal 

Willamette,  Oregon       .     .     . 
Wilmington,  Cal 

%      201,500 

i.g28,829 

1,877,485 

65.654 

37,082,520 

4,142,156 

252,673 

$32,027,995 

$          1,731 

161,170 

238,036 

71,106 

35,040,350 
277,386 
187,348 

$40,707,708 

$45,550,817 

$35,977,127 

In  the  latest  report  to  which  I  have  access, 
San  Francisco  is  the  only  one  of  the  Pacific 
ports  mentioned  separately. 

Much  of  the  exports  above  reported  to  the 
credit  of  Oregon  really  came  down  the  Colum- 
bia River  from  the  eastern  part  of  Washington 
Territory;  and  the  great  bulk  of  the  exports 
from  San  Francisco  consists  of  wheat,  flour,  and 
other  breadstuffs,  an  item  in  which  Washington 
Territory  can  surpass  all  competitors.  The  fol- 
lowing table  shows  the  principal  items  of  ex- 
port from  the  Pacific  ports. 

Let  it  be  noted  that  in  respect  to  the  produc- 
tion of  the  larger  items,  to  wit,  wheat  and  flour, 
wood  and  its  manufactures,  animals,  iron  and 
steel  and  their  manufactures,  machinery  of  all 
sorts,  fish,  etc.,  Washington  Territory  can  sur- 
pass all  competitors. 


WASHINGTON   TERRITORY. 


39 


PRI^XIPAL   EXPORTS    OF    DOMESTIC    MERCHANDISE, 
YEAR  ENDING  JUNE  30,  1SS5. 


PORTS  ON  THE 

APPROXIMATE 

PACIFIC. 

VALUES. 

Humboldt,  Cal 

%      165,000 

Wood,  and  Manufactures  of. 

1,493,600 

Canned  Salmon. 

Oregon,  Oregon     .... 

400,000 

Wheat  and  I'lour. 

32,000 

Wood,  and  Mauufactures.of. 

830,000 

Wood,  and  Manufactures  of. 

Puget  Sound,  \V.  T.  .     .     . 

240,000 

Wheat  and  Flour. 

160,000 

Animals. 

58,000 

Animals. 

San  Diego,  Cal 

4,000 

Wood,  and  Manufactures  of. 

1,800 

Machinery. 

27,226,000 

Wheat,  Flour,  and  other  Breadstuffs. 

1,211,000 

Manufactures  of  Iron  and  Steel. 

900,000 

Fish. 

745,000 

Ginseng. 

San  Francisco,  Cal.    .     .     . 

700,000 

Cotton  Manufactures. 

650,000 

Wood,  and  Manufactures  of. 

430,000 

Fruit. 

375,000 

Gunpowder,  etc. 

358,000 

Medicines,  etc. 

3i339,i53 

Wheat. 

Willamette,  Oregon   .     .     . 

704,000 

Flour  and  Breadstuffs. 

37,000 

Wood  and  Manufactures  of. 

Wilmington,  Cal 

\          211,928 
"1            33,600 

Wheat. 
Honey. 

Note. — Humboldt,  Oregon,  San  Diego,  Willamette,  and  Wilmington  have  al- 
most no  exports  e.xcept  those  included  in  this  list.  Puget  Sound  and  San  Francisco 
have  a  great  variety  of  exports. 


APPENDIX. 


LIST   OF    EXPORTS   OF   DOMESTIC   MERCHANDISE,   YEAR 

ENDING   JUNE    30,    1885.      EXPORTED    FROM    THE 

SEVEN  CUSTOMS  DISTRICTS  OF  THE  PACIFIC. 


Agricultural  Implements. 

Animals. 

Art  Works. 

Bark,  and  Extract  for  Tanning. 

Billiard  Tables,  etc. 

lilacking. 

Bones,  Hoofs,  Horns,  etc. 


Books,  Maps,  etc. 

Brass,  and  Manufactures  of. 

Breadstuffs,  Wheat,  etc. 

l>ricks. 

Broom-corn,       Brooms      and 

Brushes. 
Candles. 


40 


WASHINGTON    TERRITORY. 


Carriages,  and  parts  of. 

Cars,  passenger  and  freight. 

Casings  for  Sausages. 

Chemicals,  Drugs,  Dyes,  and 
Medicines. 

Clocks  and  Watches. 

Coal. 

Coffee  and  Cocoa,  ground  or 
prepared,  and  Chocolate. 

Copper,  and  Manufactures  of. 

Cotton,  Manufactures  of. 

Earthen,  Stone,  and  China 
Ware. 

Eggs. 

Fancy  Articles. 

Fertilizers. 

Fish. 

Flax,  Hemp,  Jute,  and  Manu- 
factures of. 

Fruits. 

Furs  and  Fur-skins. 

Glass  and  Glassware. 

Glucose,  or  Grape-Sugar. 

Glue. 

Grease,  and  all  Soap  Stock. 

Gunpowder,  and  other  Explo- 
sives. 

Hair,  and  Manufactures  of. 

Hides,  and  Skins  other  than 
Furs. 

Hay. 

Honey. 

Hops. 

Ice. 

India-rubber  and  Gutta-per- 
cha, and  Manufactures  of. 

Ink. 


Instruments  and  Apparatus  for 
Scientific  purposes. 

Iron  and  Steel,  and  Manufac- 
tures of. 

Jewelry,  and  Manufactures  of 
Gold  and  Silver. 

Lamps,  etc. 

Lead,  and  Manufactures  of. 

Leather,  and  Manufactures  of. 

Lime  and  Cement. 

Malt  Liquors. 

Marble  and  Stone,  and  Manu- 
factures of. 

Matches. 

Musical  Instruments. 

Naval  Stores. 

Oakum. 

Oil-cake  and  Oil-cake  Meal. 

Oils. 

Ore,  Gold  and  Silver  bearing. 

Paraffine  and   Paraffine  Wax. 

Paints  and  Painters'  Colors. 

Paper,   and   Manufactures   of. 

Plated  Ware. 

Provisions  (comprising  Meat 
and  Dairy  Products). 

Quicksilver. 

Rags. 

Rice. 

Salt. 

Seeds — Timothy,  etc. 

Silk,  and  Manufactures  of. 

Soap. 

Spermaceti  and  Spermaceti 
Wax. 

Spices,  ground  and  prepared. 

Spirits,  Whisky,  etc. 


WASHINGTON    TERRITORY. 


41 


Spirits  of  Turpentine. 

Starch. 

Stationery,  except  Paper. 

Stereotype     and     Electrotype 

Plates. 
Straw     and     Palm-leaf,     and 

Manufactures  of. 
Sugar  and  Molasses. 
Tin,  Manufactures  of. 
Tobacco,  and  Manufactures  of. 
Trunks,  Valises,  etc. 


Umbrellas,  etc. 
Varnish. 
Vegetables. 

Vessels  sold  to  foreigners. 
Vinegar. 
Wax  (Bees'). 
Wine. 

Wood,  and  Manufactures  of. 
Zinc  (pigs,  bars,  plates,  and 
sheets). 


LIST    OF    IMPORTS    OF    MERCHANDISE,    YEAR    ENDING    JUNE 
30,    1885.       IMPORTED    INTO    THE    SEVEN    CUS- 
TOMS   DISTRICTS    OF   THE    PACIFIC. 


Animals. 

Articles,  the  growth,  produce 

or  manufacture  of  the  United 

States,  returned. 
Art  Works. 
Art  Works,  the  production  of 

American  artists. 
Books,  etc. 

Brass,  and  Manufactures  of. 
Brushes. 

Buttons,  some  kinds  of. 
Cement. 

Chemicals,  Drugs  and  Dyes. 
Clays,  etc. 
Clocks,  and  parts  of. 
Coal,  bituminous. 
Cocoa,  Coffee. 
Confectionery. 

Copper,  and  Manufactures  of. 
Corsets. 
Cotton,  Manufactures  of. 


Cotton,  unmanufactured. 

Dairy  Products. 

Diamonds,  uncut. 

Earthen,  Stone,  and  China 
Ware. 

Eggs. 

Fancy  Articles. 

Farinaceous  Substances,  and 
preparations  of. 

Fish,  a  few. 

Flax,  Hemp,  Jute,  etc.,  and 
Manufactures  of. 

Fruits  and  Nuts,  some. 

Furs  and  Fur-skins,  undressed. 

Furs,  dressed,  and  Manufac- 
tures of. 

Glass  and  Glassware. 

Household  and  Personal  Ef- 
fects, Clothing,  Tools,  etc., 
of  persons  arriving  from 
foreign  countries. 


42 


IVA  SUING  TON    TERRI  TOR  Y. 


Hair,  Hats  and  Bonnets,  etc. 

India-rubber  and  Gutta-percha. 

Iron,  Steel,  and  Manufactures 
of. 

Jewelry,  Manufactures  of  Gold, 
Silver,  and  Precious  Stones. 

Lead,  and  Manufactures  of. 

Leather,  and  Manufactures  of. 

Malt  Liquors. 

Marble  and  Stone,  Manufac- 
tures of. 

Meats,  prepared,  of  all  kinds, 
and  E.xtracts,  etc. 

Metals,  some. 

Musical  Instruments,  and  parts 
of. 

Oil,  animal  and  vegetable. 

Opium,  and  other  Medicines. 

Paints  and  Colors. 

Paper,  and  Manufactures  of. 

Paper  Stock,  crude. 

Plaster-of-Paris,  unground. 

Rice. 

Salt. 


Seeds. 

Silk,  Manufactures  of. 

Silk,  unmanufactured. 

Soap. 

Some  Breadstuffs. 

Spices,  ground. 

Spices,  unground. 

Spirits,  Distilled  and  Spiritu- 
ous. 

Sponges. 

Sugar  and  Molasses. 

Tea. 

Tin  (bars,  blocks,  etc.). 

Tobacco,  and  Manufactures  of. 

Vegetables,  some,  in  natural 
state,  in  brine,  preserved,  etc. 

Wines. 

Wood,   and    Manufactures  of. 

Wood,  unmanufactured. 

Wools,  Hair  of  the  Alpaca 
goat,  etc.,  and  Manufactures 
of. 

Zinc,  Spelter  or  Tutenegue, 
and  Manufactures  of. 


APPROXIMATE  POPULATION  IN  THE  YEAR  1887  OF 


The  World 1,500,000,000 

Japan,    Siberia,   Chinese    Empire,   Anam,    Siam,  Oce- 

anica,  India 792,500,000 

Me.xico,  Central  America 11,800,000 

U.  S.  of  Colombia,  Ecuador,  Peru,  Bolivia,  Chili,  Pata- 
gonia         11,700,000 

Canada 4,500,000 

Total     ....     820,000,000 


WASHINGTON    TERRITORY. 


43 


TOPOGRAPHY  OF  WASHINGTON  TERRITORY. 

Washington  Territory  will  make  one  of  the 
largest  States  of  the  Union.  It  is  larger  than 
England  and  Wales  combined,  as  will  be  seen 
by  the  following  table  : 

Washington  Territory  .     66,880  square  miles. 
New  York     .         .         .         47,620       "         " 

Virginia  .         .  .     40,125       "         " 

England  and  Wales      .         58,320       "         " 

The  shape  of  the  Territory  is  regular,  having 
the  general  form  of  a  parallelogram,  with  its 
longer  axis  running  east  and  west  Its  relief  is 
simple.  Along  the  Pacific  coast  runs  the  Coast 
Range  of  mountains  from  the  mouth  of  the  Co- 
lumbia River  to  the  Straits  of  Juan  de  Fuca.  In 
this  range  there  is  only  one  practicable  opening 
from  the  interior,  which  is  the  trough  of  the 
Chehalis  River,  which  terminates  in  Gray's 
Harbor.  The  bar  here,  as  at  the  mouth  of 
Columbia  River,  forms  a  serious  obstruction 
to  the  entrance  of  vessels  drawing  more  than 
twenty  feet  of  water. 

Sixty  miles  east  of  the  Coast  Range,  and 
parallel  to  it,  runs  the  Cascade  Range,  which 
divides  the  Territory  by  a  north  and  south  line. 
It  is  a  lofty  range,  presenting  a  serrated  outline, 
whose  low^er  depressions  are  3,000  to  4,000  feet 


44 


WA  SUING  TON   TERR  1 7  'OR  Y. 


Pugct  Sound. 


Lake 
Washington. 


above  tide,  while  summits  of  5,000  to  8,000  feet 
are  common  ;  and  at  intervals  still  higher  peaks 
raise  their  snow-covered  heads  from  8,000  to 
14,500  feet. 

Between  the  Cascade  Mountains  and  the 
Coast  Range  lies  Puget  Sound,  with  its  outlet 
through  the  Strait  of  Fuca.  South  of  this 
sound,  and  on  each  side,  are  wide  spaces  of  flat 
and  rolling  country,  wnth  numerous  and  some- 
what disconnected  mountains  of  comparatively 
small  size,  though  some  of  them  rise  as  high  as 
1,500  feet.  These  mountains  show  many  nat- 
ural terraces,  which  may  be  the  result  of  land- 
slides. 

The  Puget  Sound  basin  is  exceedingly  well 
supplied  with  streams  and  lakes ;  whilst  the 
Sound  itself,  with  its  sheltered  position,  its 
deep  water,  and  indented  shore-line,  is  one  of 
the  most  interesting  and  valuable  inland  bodies 
of  water  in  the  world.  It  has  a  broad  outlet  to 
the  ocean.  Lake  Washington  is  a  beautiful 
and  navigable  sheet  of  water.  There  are  nu- 
merous other  lakes  scattered  over  the  Territor}^ 
enlivening  its  scenery  and  often  affording  con- 
venient waterways.  Quite  a  number  of  the 
rivers  emptying  into  Puget  Sound  are  partially 
navigable  for  small  steamers.  The  rivers  and 
creeks  generally  have  bottom-lands,  which  are 


LAKE    WASHINGTON SHOWINC,    MOUNT    RANIKR    IN    THK    DISTANCE- 
ON    LINE    OF    SEATTLE,    LAKK    SH()RE    AND    EASTERN    RAILWAY. 


WASHINGTON    TERRITORY.  45 

sometimes  narrow,  and  sometimes  wide. 
Cowlitz  River  flows  south  into  the  Colum- 
bia River.  It  has  fine  bottom-lands,  and  its 
valley  may  be  regarded  as  a  prolongation  and 
complement  of  the  Willamette  Valley,  Oregon. 

All  the  countiy  lying  west  of  the  crest-line  west  washing- 
of  the  Cascade  Mountams  is  known  as  VVest  Washington. 
Washington,  and  is  quite  different  in  topogra- 
phy, as  in  many  other  respects,  from  the  coun- 
try known  as  East  Washington,  which  name 
applies  to  all  of  the  Territory  lying  east  of  the 
Cascade  axis. 

East  Washington  is  a  rectangular  plateau,  set 
in  a  frame  of  mountains,  and  drained  by  the 
Columbia  River  and  its  tributaries.  The  Cas- 
cade Range  being  the  west  side  of  the  frame, 
the  north  side  is  formed  by  irregular  spurs  which 
run  out  at  right  angles  from  the  Cascade  Moun- 
tains along  the  Canada  border,  and  connect  with 
the  Cabinet  Mountains.  The  east  side  of  the 
frame  is  in  Idaho,  and  consists  chiefly  of  the 
Coeur  d'Alene  Mountains.  On  the  south  lie 
the  Blue  Mountains,  which  are  partly  in  Wash- 
ington Territory,  but  chiefly  in  Oregon.  The 
mountains  on  the  north  have  a  few  peaks  5,000 
to  9,000  feet  high,  and  many  of  the  dividing 
ridges  are  high,  steep  and  rugged.  Much  of 
the  region  is  described,  however,  as  high  plateau 


46  WASHINGTON    TERRITORY. 

country,  dotted  over  with  small,  conical  moun- 
tains. It  abounds  in  streams  of  water,  generally 
small.  A  strip  of  arable  land  runs  on  the  east 
side  of  the  Columbia  River  from  the  mouth 
of  the  Spokane  River  to  the  mouth  of  the 
Colville  River  and  the  valleys  of  Colville  and 
the  Little  Spokane  River  are  highly  spoken  of 
as  agricultural  regions.  The  elevation  of  these 
river  valleys  is  from  1,200  to  1,600  feet  above 
tide-water. 

Passing  to  the  east  side,  we  find  the  plateau 
country  at  its  north  corner  extending  to  the 
Idaho  line  where  the  foot-hills  of  the  Rocky 
ccEurd'Aiene  Mouutalns  bcglu,  aud  soon  rise  into  the  Coeur 
d'Alene  Mountains,  which — being  the  local 
name  for  part  of  the  Bitter  Root  Range — is  a 
part  of  the  western  branch  of  the  Rocky  Moun- 
tains. The  Coeur  d'Alene  River  and  Lake  be- 
long to  the  Columbia  River  basin,  and  are  so 
naturally  connected  in  mining  and  trading  inter- 
ests with  Washington  Territory,  that  in  another 
connection  I  shall  have  much  to  say  of  the 
Coeur  d'Alene  country,  as  also  of  the  Colville 
country,  and  other  parts  of  the  mountain  rim. 
South  of  the  Coeur  d'Alene  Lake  the  plateau 
countiy  extends  far  into  Idaho,  and  gives  to  that 
State  its  best  farming  lands. 

The  Blue  Mountains  which  mark  the  southern 


Alountains. 


Plateau. 


WASHINGTON    TERRITORY.  47 

limit  of  the  plateau  in  Washington  Territory  do 
not  extend  more  than  half-way  across  the  plain, 
leaving-  a  long  projection  of  the  plateau  to  ex- 
tend southward  into  Oregon. 

The  shape  of  the  plateau  in  Washington  Ter- 
ritory is  an  irreo-ular  square  with  a  diameter  The  Great 
each  way  of  about  150  miles.  Followed  into 
Idaho  and  Oregon,  the  diameters  would  reach 
200  miles.  Its  surface  is  generally  smooth,  but 
there  are  frequent  patches  of  rock,  and  some- 
times large  areas  are  roughened  by  rocky  out- 
crops. The  plateau  is  elevated  and  rolling,  ris- 
ing from  1,000  to  3,000  feet  above  the  surface 
of  Columbia  River.  Its  elevations  usually  are 
mere  swells,  except  along  the  precipitous  edges 
of  coulees.  I  know  of  only  one  mountain  upon 
it,  and  that  is  quite  a  small  one ;  but  it  served 
as  a  refuge  for  Lieutenant  Steptoe  and  his  hand- 
ful of  soldiers  when  attacked  by  the  Indians ; 
and  hence  is  called  Steptoe  Butte.  The  surface 
of  the  plain  is  scarred  in  a  number  of  places 
with  coulees,  or  dry  river-beds,  which  arc  cut 
down  twenty  to  one  hundred  feet,  and  some- 
times more,  and  their  sides  are  usually  marked 
by  bluffs,  often  of  rock.  These  coulees  are  an 
advantage,  or  a  disadvantage,  in  road-making, 
according  to  whether  the  road  goes  with,  or 
across,  the  coulee.     The  Northern  Pacific  Rail- 


Coulees. 


Snake  Rivers. 


48  WASHINGTON    TERRITORY. 

road  found  it  convenient  to  use  one  of  them  for 
a  long  distance.  The  deepest  cuts  in  the  pla- 
teau are  made  by  its  rivers.  Of  these  the  Co- 
lumbia is  chief.  This  river,  as  already  intimated, 
has  cut  a  channel  for  itself  along  the  north  and 
west  edge  of  the  plain  from  1,000  to  2,000  feet 
below  the  general  level.  The  Snake  River, 
which  is  the  largest  affluent  of  the  Columbia, 
has  numerous  branches,  all  cut  deep  into  the 
basalt  which  underlies  the  plain. 
Columbia  and  Thc  Coluuibia  and  Snake  are  both  steamboat 
rivers,  but  navigation  is  interrupted  by  rocky 
rapids,  which  prevent  through  lines  of  steamers. 
The  Columbia  is  one  of  the  largest  rivers  in  the 
world,  and  has  abundant  water  for  steamboats 
from  its  mouth  to  a  point  in  Canada,  north  of 
Farwell,  where  it  is  crossed  by  the  Canadian 
Pacific  Railway,  and  steamboats  run  at  intervals 
to  the  most  northerly  point ;  and  there  are  navi- 
gable stretches  not  yet  used  for  boats  which  will 
have  steamers  in  connection  with  future  rail- 
roads. The  steamers  on  Snake  River  are  very 
useful,  and  run  to  Lewiston,  in  Idaho,  and  per- 
haps further. 

This  plateau,  or  Great  Plain  of  the  Columbia, 
as  it  is  called  sometimes,  is  a  most  interesting 
and  important  region,  concerning  which  I  shall 
have  much  to  say  under  subsequent  heads. 


WA  SUING  TON   TE I? HI  TOR  V. 


49 


ALTITUDES  IN  WASHINGTON 

TERRITORY. 

FEET. 

Mount  Ranier  (Tacoma)  . 

14,444 

Mount  Baker 

.       10,827 

Mount  Adams  .... 

9,570 

Mount  St.   Helens 

•          9,750 

Natchess  Pass  .... 

4,900 

Stampede  Pass,  Summit 

.         3,980 

Tunnel,  Stampede  Pass     . 

2,885 

Snoqualmie  Pass    . 

.         3,110 

Kechelus  Lake 

2,388 

Kachess  Lake 

.          2,158 

Ellensburg         .... 

1,518 

Yakima  City  .... 

990 

Ainsworth          .... 

351 

Palouse  Junction   . 

858 

Sprague 

1,200 

Spokane  Falls 

.          1,910 

Colville 

1,917 

Fort  Spokane 

.          1,300 

Okinagane  Lake 

1,163 

Great  Plain  of  Columbia  River, 

1,000  to  3,000 

Snake  River,  N.  P.  R.  R.       . 

•                .                358 

Colfax 

1,941 

Dayton  ..... 

.           1,360 

Walla  Walla       .... 

1,000 

Wallula  Junction   . 

326 

CLIMATE. 

Climate  is  a  matter  of  temperature,  moisture  The  cumate  of 

Washington 

and  atmospheric  dynamics.     The  general  law  of      Territory. 
temperature  is  that  the  farther  north  the  colder 


50  WASHINGTON    TERRITORY. 

the  weather ;  and  yet  currents  of  water  and  pre- 
vailing winds  may  give  to  the  country  a  cHmate 
geographically  belonging  to  quite  a  different 
latitude.  We  know  how  this  is  with  England, 
which,  judged  by  latitude,  ought  to  be  colder 
than  Maine,  but  which,  in  fact,  has  one  of  the 
mildest  and  most  equable  climates  in  the  world. 
En2:land  is  farther  north  than  Washinoton 
Territory,  which  latter  is  in  the  latitude  of 
France  ;  but  it  is  also  in  the  latitude  of  Mon- 
tana, Dakota  and  Maine,  States  remarkable  for 
sudden  changes  and  for  terrible  cold.  But  it 
is  well  known  that  our  Pacific  States,  at  least 
on  their  western  borders,  have  a  temperature 
free  from  extremes  in  both  summer  and  winter. 
Taking  July  and  January  as  the  hottest  and 
coldest  months,  it  w^ill  be  found  that  the  aver- 
age temperature  at  San  Francisco  and  Puget 
Sound  is  from  7°  to  14°  cooler  than  it  is  in  the 
Rocky  Mountains  and  in  New  England  during 
the  same  months.  And  on  the  other  hand, 
taking  January  as  the  coldest  month,  we  find 
that  Bismarck,  Denver,  New  England,  etc.,  are 
30°  to  40°  colder  than  the  points  on  the  Pacific. 
In  other  words,  that  the  range  of  the  thermom- 
eter between  extremes  averages  near  50°  more 
in  the  East  than  it  does  in  the  West  in  the  local- 
ities named ;  a  very  great  difference  when  we 


WASHINGTON    TERRITORY.  5  I 

consider  comfort,  health,  cost  of  living,  and 
opportunity  to  labor  in  the  open  air. 

This  greater  mildness  and  equability  of  tern-   MUdand 

.  eq\iabie. 

perature  on  the  Pacific  Coast  is  to  be  ascribed 
to  the  winds  and  currents  of  the  great  ocean. 
During^  the  summer  the  winds  come  from  the 
north-west,  and  during  the  winter  from  the 
south-west  and  south.  Much  influence  in  tem- 
pering the  cold  of  winter  is  ascribed  also  to 
the  Japan  Current,  m.entioned  under  a  former 
head.  It  does  for  the  Pacific  Coast  what  the 
Gulf  Stream  does  for  England. 

The  same  causes  regulate  also  the  rainfall 
on  the  Pacific  Coast.  In  one  respect  there  is 
the  same  peculiarity  along  the  whole  coast, 
namely,  dry  summers  and,  com.paratively,  wet 
winters.  There  is,  however,  a  gradual  increase 
in  the  amount  of  rainfall  northward  from  San 
Diefjo  to  Sitka ;  so  that  when  we  reach  Wash- 
ington  Territory  we  do  not  find  the  excessive 
dryness  which  characterizes  the  summer  climate 
of  California. 

The   figures  of   different   authorities  do  not 

,  ,  ...  1  Rainfall. 

agree  exactly  as  to  the  precipitation  on  the 
Pacific  Coast :  for  example,  in  the  older  vol- 
ume on  Rain  Tables,  published  by  the  Smithso- 
nian Institution,  the  annual  rainfall  and  melted 
snow  on  Puget  Sound,  measured  at  Steilacoom, 


52  WASHINGTON    TERRITORY. 

near  Olympia,  from  1849  to  1867,  amounted  to 
43.98  inches.  Governor  Semple,  however,  gives 
from  Sergeant  McGovcrn,  in  charge  of  the  sta- 
tion, a  total  of  53.89  inches  annually,  measured 
at  Olympia  from  1878  to  1886.  But  I  find  in 
the  report  of  the  chief  signal  officer  to  the  War 
Department  for  1884,  that  the  average  from 
July  I,  1877,  to  December,  1883,  for  Olympia, 
was  62.81  inches.  This  difference  of  nine 
inches  is  partly  accounted  for  by  the  fact  that 
the  precipitation  in  the  subsequent  years  not 
included  in  the  report  of  the  Signal  Service 
Bureau,  namely,  1884,  1885  and  1886,  averaged 
only  4 1. 88  inches,  which  would,  in  great  measure, 
relieve  the  discrepancy.  It  will  probably  turn 
out  on  further  observation  that  53  inches  is 
about  the  total  annual  rainfall  for  Puget  Sound. 
But  according  to  the  report  of  the  chief  signal 
officer  for  1884,  we  have  the  following  annual 
totals:  San  Diego,  9.40;  San  Francisco,  23.32; 
Portland,  Oregon,  54.16  ;  Puget  Sound,  62.81  ; 
Sitka,  Alaska,  97.28  inches. 

Comparing  these  with  points  farther  east,  we 
have  Bismarck,  Dakota,  21.35  ;  Denver,  14.97; 
Sandusky,  Ohio,  41.43  ;  New  Haven,  Connec- 
ticut, 51.55;  Norfolk,  Virginia,  52.14  inches. 

The  value  of  rainfall  depends  more  on  its 
distribution    among    the    months   than    on    its 


WASHINGTON    TERRITORY.  53 

annual  aggregate.  England  has  but  25  inches 
rain  per  annum,  but  it  comes  at  such  times  as 
makes  it  most  effective.  The  rains  on  the 
Pacific  Coast  are  not  distributed  in  the  most 
favorable  way  for  agriculture  —  the  summers 
being  too  dry.  At  San  Diego  there  is  less 
than  one-third  of  an  inch  in  the  three  summer 
months,  and  still  less  at  San  Francisco.  On 
Puget  Sound,  for  that  time,  the  fall  is  2.57. 
In  Washington  Territory  the  spring  rains  are 
as  abundant  as  in  the  Atlantic  States,  and  the 
summer  breezes  seem  laden  with  moisture. 

In  respect  to  cold  waves,  winds  and  storms,    no wizzards or 

■^  cyclones. 

Washington  Territory  is  singularly  favored. 
There  is  nothing  to  correspond  with  the  bliz- 
zards, northers,  hurricanes  and  cyclones  which 
trouble  some  other  States.  Even  ordinary 
thunder-storms  are  rare.     The  climate  of  East 

Washington    is    different    from    that    of   West   Differences  be- 
es tween    East 

Washington,  and  yet,  when  compared  VvHth  w^'j,! 
that  of  Montana  and  Dakota,  it  will  be  seen 
that  it  is  really  transitional  and  intermediate 
between  the  climates  on  each  side.  The  range 
of  thermometer  from  the  heat  of  July  to  the 
cold  of  January  is,  at  Bismarck,  65°;  at  Spo- 
kane Falls,  45°,  and  on  Pugct  Sound,  22°. 
And,  in  like  manner,  the  amount  of  rain  is  in- 
termediate  between   the   heavy  rainfall    of  the 


and   West 
ngton. 


54  WASHINGTOiY    TERRITORY. 

Sound  and  the  lighter  rains  of  the  Rocky 
Mountain  country.  The  explanation  of  this 
is,  that  while  the  Cascade  Range,  like  all  high 
mountains,  condenses  the  moisture  of  the  air 
on  the  windward  side  and  changes  its  tempera- 
ture, yet  this  range  is  not  sufficiently  high  and 
cold  to  have  the  effect  of  the  Himalayas  or 
the  Andes  in  depriving  the  leeward  lands  of 
rain. 

The  mountain  rim  of  the  plateau  country  has 
not  the  moisture  which  distinguishes  the  west 
side  of  the  Cascade,  and  it  varies  in  its  amount 
at  different  places. 

Some  statements  have  already  been  made  in 
reference  to  the  dryness  and  summer  heat  of 
the  Yakima  Valley  on  the  east  flank  of  the 
main  mountain.  The  mountains  running  along 
the  Canada  line  have  probably  a  better  sum- 
mer climate  than  the  east  side  of  the  main 
mountain.  I  do  not  know  how  it  is  with  the 
Coeur  d'Alene  and  Blue  Mountains,  but  the 
climate  of  the  plateau  has  no  unusual  character 
in  the  matter  of  temperature.  Half  of  the 
States  of  the  Union  have  as  great  or  greater 
extremes ;  but  the  plateau  has  less  than  half  the 
precipitation  of  Puget  Sound,  as  shown  in  the 
tables  given  on  pages  56  and  57.  And  the  rain- 
fall in  the  summer  is  so  scant  that  one  would 


IV A  SHING  TON   TERR  I  TOR  V. 


55 


Chinook  wind. 


not,  a  priori,  expect  any  form  of  vegetation 
to  progress  at  all.  These  meteorological  phe- 
nomena render  almost  unaccountable  the  facts 
of  agriculture,  which  will  be  given  hereafter. 

The  Chinook  wind,  w^hich  springs  up  in  win- 
ter and  melts  the  snow  on  the  plateau,  and  to 
some  extent  in  the  mountains,  is  simply  a 
southerly  wind,  such  as  is  common  in  the  Mis- 
sissippi Valley  and  even  on  the  Atlantic  sea- 
board. In  the  Pacific  States  it  does  not,  from 
the  descriptions,  appear  to  differ  from  the 
breezes  of  the  coast,  except  in  its  greater 
strength  and  steadiness.  I  heard  an  intelligent 
gentleman,  residing  in  Spokane  Falls,  say  that 
he  thought  the  Chinook  was  a  disadvantage  in 
winter,  as  it  caused  a  disagreeable  thaw,  and  so 
relaxed  the  human  system  as  to  render  it  more 
sensitive  to  cold  ;  but  generally  the  Chinook  is 
enjoyed  in  East  Washington. 

SOILS. 

The  arable  soils  of  Washington  Territory,  so   soiis aiifeniie. 
far  as  I  could  see,  or  otherwise  learn,  may  be 
classified  as  follows,  to  wit :  a.  Humus;  b.  Allu- 
vium ;  c.  Drift ;  d.  Loam ;  e.  Basalt. 

a.  Humus.  In  West  Washington  the  whole 
country  is  top-dressed  with  vegetable  mould, 
derived  obviously  from  the  heavy  growth  which 


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Sept.  15,  1874 
July  I,  1879   . 
Nov.  19,  1871 
July  I,  1879  . 
Dec.  10,  1872 
Jan.  I,  1871   . 
July  I,  1877   . 
Nov.  I,  1871  . 
Nov.  I,  1871  . 
Aug.  2,  1877. 
March  8,  1871 
March  30,  1881 
Feb.  5,  1881   . 
Nov.  I,  1870  . 

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ti 

V      . 

Bismarck,  Dak.       .     . 
Dayton,  Wash.  Terr. 
Denver,  Colorado  . 
Lewiston,  Idaho.     . 
New  Haven,  Conn. 
Norfolk,  Virginia   . 
Olympia,  Wash.  Ten- 
Portland,  Oregon  . 
San  Diego,  Cal.      . 
Sandusky,  Ohio 
San  Francisco,  Cal. 
Sitka,  Alaska     .     . 
Spokane  Falls,  Wash. 
Washington  City    . 

57 


58  WASHINGTON   TERRITORY. 

has  covered  the  surface  for  ages.  Of  course 
there  are  bare  spots,  and  where  the  growth  has 
been  Hght,  the  top-dressing  is  thin;  but  the 
mountain  sides,  the  hills,  and  notably  the  low 
grounds,  are  overlaid  from  one  to  ten  inches, 
and  often  much  more,  with  this  vegetable 
mould. 

b.  Alluvium.  This  includes  the  transported 
matter  of  the  bottom-lands,  the  swales,  and  the 
tidal  flats.  Here  w^e  have  humus,  not  only  as  a 
top-dressing,  but  also  intermixed,  and  sometimes 
constituting  a  large  proportion  of  the  soil  for 
a  considerable  depth.  No  land  could  be  richer 
than  this,  and  its  relative  proportion  to  the 
whole  is  larger  than  would  be  inferred  even 
from  the  great  number  of  streams,  for  it  in- 
cludes the  lowlands  about  Puget  Sound  and  the 
lakes.  The  mountain  streams  have,  with  some 
exceptions,  but  little  alluvial  land.  There  are 
areas  of  swale,  or  wet  bottom-lands,  which  may 
be  drained  to  advantage.  The  tidal  flats  along 
the  Sound  are  peculiarly  fertile,  because  enriched 
by  both  vegetable  and  animal  matter,  including 
calcareous  shells  and  fish  bones.  Owing  to  this 
great  fertility,  and  the  ease  with  which  large 
areas  are  reclaimed  by  dykes,  their  convenience 
to  transportation,  and,  it  may  be  added,  the 
labor  of  clearing  the  forest  lands,  the  work  of 


WA  SHING  TOy    TERRI  TOR  Y. 


59 


dyking  these  flats  has  been  commenced,  especi- 
ally in  Snohomish  and  Skagit  counties,  and  it 
is  thought  that  two  hundred  thousand  acres 
may  thus  be  redeemed  from  the  water.  iVllu- 
vial  lands  constitute  but  a  small  feature  in  East 
Washington. 

c.  Drift.  The  origin  of  these  gravel  soils  is 
given  hereafter,  under  the  head  of  Geology. 
They  constitute  the  hill  lands,  as  distinguished 
from  the  bottom  lands  and  Sound  flats  on  the 
one  hand,  and  the  mountain  lands  on  the  other. 
They  are  composed  of  sand,  clay,  gravel,  and 
some  large  boulders.  Rarely  the  gravel  pre- 
dominates so  as  to  render  the  land  unfit  for  cul- 
tivation. Sometimes  there  are  only  clay  and 
sand,  and  sometimes  chiefly  clay.  This  soil, 
though  not  equal  to  the  alluvium,  or  to  the 
basaltic  land,  is  much  better  than  glacial  pre- 
cipitate usually  is.  It  gave  all  the  indications 
of  a  fertile  soil,  resembling  the  best  hay  lands 
of  Massachusetts,  wiiich  have  the  same  glacial 
origin.  Its  natural  growth  is  luxuriant,  and 
when  cleared  it  inclines  to  clothe  itself  in  white 
clover  and  the  grasses.  It  is  said  to  be  specially 
adapted  to  fruits  and  vegetables. 

d.  Loam.  I  mean  by  this  a  clay  soil  contain- 
ing fine-grained  sand  enough  to  make  it  friable. 
This  is  the  soil  made   by  the  slates  and  sand- 


60  WASHINGTON    TERRITORY. 

Stones  of  the  coal  measures,  and  is  generally- 
found  on  the  highlands  above  the  drift.  It  is 
a  medium  land  as  to  quality,  but  valuable  for  the 
tendency  to  grass,  which  characterizes  all  the 
lands  of  West  Washington.  Much  of  it  will 
make  good  cropping  land.  There  is  a  great 
deal  of  it.  It  is  found  high  on  the  cretaceous 
hills  and  mountains,  often  extending  to  the  top. 
A  remarkable        6.   Basalt.      This   is    thc  mamc  soil  of   the 

soil.  1      •         /  1  \ 

Great  Plam  (or  plateau)  of  the  Columbia.  And 
it  is  found  also  in  large  areas  on  the  Cascade 
Mountains.  It  has  an  ashy  look  and  texture ; 
sometimes  black,  but  generally  of  ashen  hue. 
Rarely  it  is  compact  and  clayey.  There  are 
perhaps  twenty  thousand  square  miles  of  this 
basaltic  land ;  enough  of  itself  to  make  a 
medium-sized  State.  Of  course  there  are  in- 
equalities in  the  productiveness  of  this  land. 
The  basaltic  rock  in  many  places  crops  out,  as 
mentioned  under  the  head  of  Topography,  and 
there  are  coulees  and  galled  spots.  I  cannot 
say  what  proportion  of  the  surface  is  rendered 
valueless  by  these  irregularities.  The  outcrop- 
ping basalt  does  not  destroy  the  value  of  the 
land  ;  for  the  soil  spaces  between  the  rocks  may 
be  greater  than  the  rock  spaces,  and  whilst  unfit 
for  the  plough,  they  may  be  suited  to  trees,  or 
cattle  range.     But,  judging  by  all  that   I  saw 


WASHINGTON   TERRITORY.  6  I 

and  heard,  I  should  think  that  the  smooth  land 
considerably  predominates  over  the  rough.  Cer- 
tainly there  is  more  smooth,  comparatively  level, 
fertile,  productive,  and  easily  cultivated  land 
here  in  proportion  to  the  whole  area  than  I 
have  ever  seen  elsewhere.  The  great  plain  of 
East  Colorado  is  a  vast  and  beautiful  stretch  of 
country,  but  it  is  unproductive  without  irriga- 
tion. Taking  everything  into  consideration,  the 
plateau  of  East  Washington  seems  to  me  to 
be  unequaled  in  combined  extent  and  produc- 
tiveness. 

This  subject  of  soils  will  be  incidentally  con- 
tinued in  connection  with  the  next  two  heads. 

NATURAL    VEGETATION. 

Here  the  two  sides  of  the  Cascade  Mountains 
must  again,  as  under  other  heads,  be  considered 
separately.  The  natural  vegetation  of  the  w^est 
side  is  vast  rather  than  varied.  Wherever  the 
sun  touches  the  ground,  one  may  expect  to  see 
grass ;  chiefly  white  clover  and  green  sward,  vegetatio.; 
which  seem  to  be  indigenous  to  the  country. 
There  are,  of  course,  many  herbs  and  shrubs 
which  need  not  be  mentioned  in  a  report  like  this. 
The  ferns  of  the  Snoqualmie  bottoms,  for  size, 
remind  one  of  the  tree  ferns  of  the  carboniferous 
period,  though,  of  course,  not  so  large.     Many 


62  WASHINGTON    TERRITORY. 

of  them  were  seven  feet  high,  which  is  five  feet 
higher  than  I  ever  saw  elsewhere.  The  Sal-al 
is  a  lov/  shrub,  almost  herbaceous,  and  semi-pro- 
cumbent, of  brown  foliage,  bearing  a  berry  and 
belonging  to  the  wintergreen  family,  though 
much  larger  than  the  wintergreen  of  the  Alle- 
ghenies.  The  Sal-al  abounds  on  the  little  prairie 
which  bears  its  name.  The  mosses  are  most 
abundant  and  luxuriant  in  the  deep,  moist 
shades  of  the  evergreen  forests,  and  I  noticed 
that  the  Cayuse  ponies  fed  upon  them  as  eagerly 
as  reindeer  upon  the  Iceland  mosses. 
Deciduous        Deciduous   trees   are    rare,    but    not    wholly 

trees.  '  -' 

wantino;.  The  cottonwood  orrows  to  rather  ex- 
tra  size.  The  alder,  which  is  only  a  large  bush 
in  the  Alleghenies,  here  becomes  a  tree,  perhaps 
thirty  feet  high.  I  saw  some  small  maples.  It 
is  said  that  there  are  groves  of  oak  and  maple 
of  sufficient  size  to  cut  for  lumber. 
Larch.  The  Larch  (tamarack)  is  interspersed  among 

the  evergreens  on  the  Cascade  Mountains,  and 
attains  good  size.  The  American  larch  is  rather 
more  slender  in  habit  than  the  European 
variety,  but  it  has  a  heavy,  close-grained  wood, 
and  is  regarded  as  specially  suited  for  railroad 
ties — an  important  point  in  this  country.  It  is 
also  reported  to  make  durable  fence-posts  and 
ground  sills.      In  Europe  its  bark  is  valued  for 


A    VIEW    OF    THE    FOREST    ON    THE    LINE    OF 
THE    SEATTLE,    LAKE    SHORE    AND    EASTERN    RAILWAV. 


WASHINGTON    TERRITORY.  63 

tanning  next  to  oak  bark,  and  the  two  are  used 
together.  The  Venice  turpentine  comes  from 
the  resinous  sap  of  the  larch.  The  older  trees 
are  better  than  the  younger  ones  for  durability. 
But  with  regard  to  this  class  of  trees,  results  de- 
pend much  on  incidental  circumstances.  Larch 
is  one  of  the  woods  used  in  Europe  for  making 
gas.  These  are  the  only  deciduous  trees  I  know 
of  in  Washington  Territory,  except  fruit  trees. 

Everp;reens  constitute  the  bulk  of  the  p^reat    Extraordinary 

o  O  evergreen 

forests,  and  I  shall  name  these  in  the  order  of       ^°'"'^- 
their  importance :  Douglas  (or  red)  fir,  white 
cedar,  hemlock  spruce,  white  pine,  balsam  (or 
white)  fir  and  yew. 

The  Douglas  Fir  constitutes  the  greater  part  Douglas  r.r,  or 

.  Oregon  pine. 

of  the  forests,  but  not  so  large  a  proportion  as 
seven-eighths,  as  stated  in  the  Census  report,  but 
more  than  one-third,  which  is  the  proportion 
given  in  Plough's  Forestry  Report.  The  wood 
of  this  tree  is  yellow  when  young,  and  hence 
some  persons  make  two  varieties  out  of  the 
same  tree.  When  older,  it  becomes  an  orange 
color,  but  not  red  like  the  heart  of  the  sweet 
gum  and  red  cedar.  It  is,  however,  usually 
called  the  red  fir.  The  tree  yields  a  clear  yellow 
resin,  which  is  not  at  present  collected.  Its 
timber  is  of  the  best  quality,  greatly  superior  to 
that  of  the  fir  tribe  generally,  probably  superior 


64  WASHINGTON    TERRITORY. 

to  that  of  any  other  fir-tree  in  the  world.  The 
firs  shade  into  each  other  by  an  almost  insensi- 
ble gradation,  and  are  much  modified  by  soil 
and  climate,  and  names  have  been  multipHed 
unnecessarily.  The  fir,  like  the  larch,  must  be 
studied  in  each  locality  in  order  to  determine 
its  value.  The  firs  of  Sweden  and  Norway 
make  good  masts  and  spars,  and  soft,  light 
boards ;  but  the  boards  are  apt  to  split  and  are 
not  strong  enough  for  ship-work.  But  the 
timber  of  the  Douglas  fir  is  heavy,  strong  and 
The  best  firm,  and  well  suited  to  ship-building,  as  has 
been  abundantly  demonstrated  on  Puget 
Sound.  For  all  ordinary  building  purposes 
this  timber  has  a  world-wide  reputation.  It  is 
often  called  the  "  Oregon  Pine."  Its  growth 
as  a  tree  is  luxuriant  on  good  soil,  and  often 
gigantic.  I  saw  many  single  specimens  which 
I  estimated  at  300  feet  in  height  and  10  to  12 
feet  in  diameter.  When  disconnected,  they 
have  the  usual  conical  shape  of  the  firs,  with 
limbs  branching  from  the  ground,  but  it  is  rare 
to  see  such  specimens  in  Washington  Terri- 
tory, as  the  forests  are  so  dense  there  is  no  room 
for  limbs,  except  near  the  top.  The  trunks 
stand  as  straight  and  regular  as  posts  set  with  a 
plumb-line.  This  crowding  often  prevents  the 
full  development  of  the  trunk  also,  except  on 


WASHINGTON   TERRITORY. 


65 


White  cedar. 


Reautiful 
house  lumber. 


the  most  moist  and  fertile  lands.  The  absence 
of  lower  branches  insures  a  great  length  of 
lumber  free  from  knots. 

The  White  Cedar  is  a  variety  of  the  well- 
known  arbor  vitae  of  the  Eastern  States,  but 
there  is  a  wonderful  difference  in  the  size  and 
habits  of  the  tree  on  the  two  sides  of  the  Con- 
tinent. On  the  Atlantic  side  it  may,  under 
very  favorable  circumstances,  reach  fifty  feet  in 
height,  but  usually  it  is  dwarfish  and  crooked. 
But  in  Washington  Territory  the  white  cedar  is 
the  peer  of  the  Douglas  fir,  and  its  largest 
specimens  perhaps  exceed  the  latter  somewhat 
in  diameter.  It  is  also  next  in  abundance  and 
value.  Its  wood  is  soft,  light  and  cream- 
colored.  It  splits  with  remarkable  ease  and 
regularity,  so  that  the  pioneer  with  axe  and 
frow  can  prepare  all  the  timbers  needed  for  his 
house.  For  shingles  it  is  fully  equal  to  its  con- 
gener, the  cypress  ;  and  for  house-facings  and 
some  kinds  of  furniture  it  is  the  favorite  wood. 

Hemlock  Spruce  is  not  so  abundant,  but  it  nemiock spruce 
constitutes  a  noticeable  element  in  the  Snoqual- 
mie  Valley  forests.  It  seems  to  be  exactly  the 
same  tree  which  so  abounds  in  our  Eastern  and 
Northern  Lake  States,  and  is  common  in  the 
moist  valleys  all  along  the  Appalachian  Moun- 
tains.    It  is  called  hemlock  in  the  Northern 


66  WASHINGTON   TERRITORY. 

States,  and  spruce  in  the  Southern,     Its  wood, 

though  unsuited  for  many  purposes,  is  largely 

used   in   the   North    for   the  frames  of   cheap 

Tanners     buildingfs   aud  also   for  fencinor-plank,   and  its 

wanted.  _  ^^  .  . 

bark  is  in  great  demand  for  tanning,  especially 
for  making  the  red  sole  leather.  It  is  also  used 
for  tanning  upper  leather  and  calf-skins,  though 
its  light  leather  is  not  so  good  as  that  made 
from  the  oak  barks.  The  hemlock  bark  has 
not  been  considered  quite  equal  to  the  chestnut- 
oak  (or  rock  oak)  bark  for  any  tanning  pur- 
poses, but  in  Virginia  the  price  is  usually  the 
same.  It  certainly  makes  good  sole  leather. 
The  logger  in  Washington  Territory  neglects 
this  tree,  and  there  are  no  tanneries  yet  to  call 
for  it,  but  this  will  soon  be  changed,  and  the 
hemlock  will  take  its  position,  not  only  as  the 
most  beautiful  of  the  evergreens,  but  as  among 
the  most  useful.  This  tree  does  not  attain  as 
great  size  as  the  two  above  mentioned,  but  I 
observed  many  specimens  ranging  from  four  to 
five  feet  in  diameter. 
White  pine.  Thc  gcucral  character  of  the  White  Pine  is 
well  known.  I  saw  but  a  few  of  them,  and 
they  not  specially  good.  I  doubt  whether  this 
tree  forms  an  important  feature  in  these  forests. 
The  Balsam  (or  White)  Fir  abounds  on  the 
higher  slopes  of  the  Cascade  Mountains,  and  it 


Balsam  fir. 


WASHINGTON    TERRITORY.  6 J 

is  so  balsamic  that  it  will  receive  attention  from 
the  collectors  of  "  Canada  Balsam,"  which  is  be- 
coming increasingly  popular  for  many  purposes,  Large  supply  of 

.     ,.        .  .  .  r  1  •  Canada  Bakara. 

especially  m  mountmg  specmiens  for  the  micro- 
scope. Such  forests  as  lie  near  the  Snoqualmie 
Pass  will  not  long  remain  unnoticed.  The  wood 
is  white  and  easily  worked,  but  the  trees  do  not 
rank  in  size  or  value  with  those  previously 
mentioned. 

The  Yew  is  found  sparingly  on  the  mountain    ^^^^ 
heights ;    but,   though  interesting,  it   seems   to 
have  no  economic  value. 

As  to  the  extent  of  these  evergreen  forests, 
they  may  be  said  to  cover  West  Washington 
with  almost  unbroken  continuity,  though  they 
vary  in  density  and  the  size  of  the  trees,  some 
tracts  containing  little  or  no  mill-timber.    In  my  '^^L^hTo^ 

I  1    ■     1  r  •  1*        •  1        T        Snoqualmie 

travels,  which  were,  of  course,  quite  limited,  1  vaiiey. 
saw  no  forests  which  answered  the  usual  unqual- 
ified descriptions,  except  in  the  Snoqualmie  Val- 
ley, and  here  they  far  exceeded  my  expectation, 
as  will  be  shown  in  the  detailed  description, 
given  hereafter,  of  the  country  lying  along  the 
line  of  the  Seattle,  Lake  Shore  &  Eastern  Rail- 
way. The  finest  forests  lie  between  Puget  Sound 
and  the  crest  of  the  Cascade  Mountains,  though 
even  in  this  area  there  are  variations.  And 
after  all  the  chopping   and   sawing — of  which 


68  WASHINGTON   TERRITORY. 

more  will  be  told  later — the  forests  as  yet  show 
but  little  diminution. 

East  of  the  Cascade  Range  the  forests  are 
smaller,  and  confined  to  the  mountain  sides. 
There  are  some  narrow  belts  of  pine  along  the 
northern  edge  of  the  Great  Plain  of  the  Co- 
lumbia, which  furnish  a  little  lumber  for  local 
uses  ;  but  these  will  soon  be  worked  out.  The 
mountain  rim  lying  along  the  Canada  line  is 
said  to  be  covered  with  forest,  some  of  it  heavy. 
The  Douglas  Fir,  the  Yellow  Pine,  the  White 
Pine,  and  the  Larch  are  all  to  be  found  there. 
There  are  also  skirts  of  the  same  timber  along 
the  Spokane  River.  And,  at  wide  intervals, 
there  are  strips  and  bunches  of  scrubby  yellow 
pine  on  the  Great  Plain,  which  is,  however, 
generally  treeless. 

The  spurs  and  ridges  of  the  Blue  Moun- 
tains are  thinly  covered  with  small  pines  and 
larches.  There  are  some  areas  of  mill-timber  on 
the  east  and  south-east  flanks  of  the  Cascade 
Mountains. 

The  flora  of  the  great  plateau  presents  a 
strange  appearance  to  the  traveler.  The  vege- 
tation is  short  and  scanty,  the  chief  growth 
being  the  "  sage-brush,"  a  dwarfish,  dead-looking 
shrub,  with  a  hard,  crooked  stem,  of  no  value 
as  forage,  but  which  is  sometimes  used  for  fuel 


cattle. 


WASHINGTON   TERRITORY.  69 

when  nothing  else  is  to  be  had.  There  are  said 
to  be  some  medicinal,  and  also  some  edible, 
plants  ;  but  the  only  thing  of  any  value  is  the 
dry,  thin,  short,  bunch  grass  which  furnishes  a 
fattening  food  for  horses  and  cattle  ;  though  h^rfcf  Ind 
many  acres  are  required  to  support  an  animal, 
and  close  grazing  is  rapidly  destroying  this 
resource.  Indeed,  the  tract  is  so  barren  and 
desert-like  in  appearance  that  in  the  geographies 
of  my  boyhood  it  was  put  down  as  a  part  of  the 
Great  American  Desert.  And  yet,  as  will  be 
seen  hereafter,  this  is  probably  the  most  pro- 
ductive upland  in  America. 

LUMBERING. 

Lumbering  was  the  first  industry  of  Wash- 
ington Territory.  Even  food  was  imported  for 
a  time.  Logging  began  on  Puget  Sound,  and 
went  up  such  streams  as  afforded  transportation 
and  water-power.  Steam-power  soon  became 
the  chief  reliance  for  sawing,  but  water-power 
will  be  largely  used  when  the  railroads  pene- 
trate inland. 

Logging  and  sawing  are  separate  branches  of 
business,  which  may  or  may  not  be  carried  on 
by  the  same  parties.  And  so  with  transporta- 
tion  to  the  mill  and  to  market.     Large  con- 


yo 


WASHINGTON    TERRITORY. 


Magnitude 

of    the    lumber 

business. 


Vast  extent 

of  the  lumber 

market. 


cerns  carry  on  all  the  branches,  even  to  the 
building  and  owning  of  ships. 

Governor  Semple  gives  the  capacity  of  the 
Washington  Territory  sawmills  in  1887  as  645,- 
500,000  feet  of  lumber  per  annum,  of  which  the 
Puget  Sound  mills  produce  344,500,000  feet. 
Of  this,  they  (Puget  Sound  mills)  sent  200,- 
000,000  feet  to  California;  2,600,000  to  Boston, 
Mass. ;  500,000  feet  to  other  Atlantic  ports, 
and  over  100,000,000  feet  to  foreign  ports. 
Among  foreign  ports,  London  received  551,- 
500  feet,  and  the  rest  went  to  Mexico,  South 
America,  China,  Australia,  and  other  Pacific 
Islands. 

Mr.  Cyrus  Walker,  of  the  Puget  Mill  Com- 
pany, Port  Ludlow,  in  a  letter  which  I  have 
from  him,  says : 

"  It  is  safe  to  say  that  the  lumber  market  of 
the  Sound  may  be  considered  all  countries  and 
ports  on  the  Pacific  Ocean." 

But  it  may  make  a  more  vivid  impression  of 
the  Pacific  market  for  me  to  give  a  list  of  the 
ports  to  which  shipments  have  been  actually 
made  in  the  last  year  by  the  lumber  dealers  of 
Puget  Sound.  This  list  I  get  not  only  from 
public  documents,  but  directly  from  the  millers 
and  port  officials : 


WASHINGTON    TERRITORY. 


71 


Melbourne, 

Callao, 

Sydney, 

Guaymas, 

Iquique, 

Taku, 

Hilo,  H.  I., 

San  Francisco, 

Townsville, 

West  Coast, 

Btisbane, 


Sandwich  Islands, 

New  Caledonia, 

Mollendo, 

Montevideo, 

Honolulu, 

Valpa, 

Suava,  Feejee  Is., 

Kahalui, 

Cadera,  Chili, 

San  Diego, 


San  Pedro, 
Hong  Kong, 
Enseneda,  Mex., 
Falmouth, 
Shanghai, 
Autofogasta, 
Rio  de  Janeiro, 
Broken  Bay, 
Adelaide, 
Coquimbo. 


This  is  not  a  complete  list  of  all  the  ports 
visited  by  the  lumber  ships  of  Puget  Sound, 
and  by  no  means  represents  the  business  of  the 
future,  which  will  increase  as  fast  as  the  mills 
can  be  built  to  furnish  the  lumber. 

No  one  without  seeing  it  can  have  an  adequate 
idea  of  the  magnitude  of  the  operations  of  one 
of  the  great  sawmills  of  Puget  Sound.  The 
Puget  Mill  Company,  for  the  first  ten  months 
of  last  year,  sawed  on  an  average  290,000  feet 
every  day  of  ten  working  hours.  I  visited  the 
Port  Blakely  Mills,  just  across  the  Sound  from 
Seattle.  There  I  found  a  fleet  of  ships  in  the 
harbor,  owned  chiefly  by  the  company ;  also, 
ships  building  on  the  stocks ;  railroads  going 
out  to  the  logging  camps ;  a  basin  for  receiv- 
ing the  logs,  and  a  mill,  with  four  separate 
tracks,    bringing  the  logs  in  at  one  end,  and 


The  great  saw- 
mills. 


72 


IFA  SUING  TON    TERRI  TOR  V. 


carrying  out  the  lumber  at  the  other.  A  high 
iron  trestle  carried  oflf  the  slabs  to  an  enormous 
fire  which  never  ceased  to  burn,  where  all  this 
waste  was  consumed. 

Around  the  mill  was  quite  a  town,  in  which 
a  large  number  of  races  and  nationalities  were 
represented.  This  mill  cut  about  59,000,000 
feet  in  1887.  Up  to  the  loth  of  November  it 
had  shipped  as  follows  :  To  California,  32,464,- 
763  feet;  to  South  America,  6,847,427  feet; 
to  Sandwich  Islands,  1,799,891  feet;  to  Aus- 
tralia, 6,681,668  feet;  to  Feejee  Islands,  511,815 
feet ;  and  used  at  home  for  ship-building,  rail- 
roads, etc.,  2,312,000  feet. 

The  Tacoma  Mill  Company  and  the  Wash- 
ington Mill  Company  produced  the  following 
lumber,  etc.,  during  1886  and  the  first  ten 
months  of  18S7  : 


LUMBER. 

I.ATH. 

PILES, 

FEET. 

NO. 

LINEAR  FT, 

Tacoma  Mill .     . 

•       103,448,350 

28,815,095 

642,385 

Washington  Mill 

42,195,478 

8,772,800 

266,403 

There  were  other  large  mills  whose  statistics 
I  was  not  able  to  get  in  time.  Mr.  Walker 
thinks  that  the  cut  of  all  the  mills  on  Puget 
Sound  averages  1,200,000  feet  per  day;  all  of 
which  finds  ready  sale. 

I    was  not  able   to    ascertain  the  profits  of 


WASHINGTON    TERRITORY.  73 

these  mills,  but  there  can  be  no  doubt  that,  with 

Profits  and 

proper  management,  the  profits  are  very  good,      p"""- 
The  Seattle  wholesale  prices  were  as  follows  : 

Lumber,  common,  per  thousand  feet  .         .     $12  00 

"         sized,          "          "            "        .         .  14  00 

"  Flooring  ....  $15  00  to  20  00 
Dressed  lumber,  per  thousand  feet  .  14  00  to  30  00 
Laths          .         .         ,         .         .         .  2  00  to     2   25 

Shingles i  50  to     2  00 

AGRICULTURE. 

After  hearing  of  the  forests  in  West  Wash- 
ington, one  cannot  be  surprised  to  learn  that 
the  agricultural  interest  develops  slowly  in  this 
part  of  the  Territory.  Even  after  the  logger 
has  taken  what  he  wants,  there  remains  a  heavy 
mass  of  vegetation  which  is  expensive  to  clear 
away.  A  thorough  clearing,  including  the  re-  clearing  the 
moval  of  stumps,  costs  $75  to  $100  per  acre; 
and  yet  this  is  sometimes  done  for  hops,  hay 
and  vegetables.  But  the  common  way  is  to 
"  slash  and  burn,"  at  an  expense  of  ten  to  fif- 
teen dollars  an  acre.  This  clears  off  everything 
but  stumps,  and  such  trees  as  may  be  reserved 
for  the  mill  or  other  purposes.  There  are  fine 
farms  in  every  direction,  but  I  had  no  means  of 
ascertaining  the  proportion  of  cleared  land,  or 
of   the   agricultural    population.      The   natural 


land. 


74  WASHINGTON    TERRITORY. 

Demand       fcTtiHtv  of  thc  soil,  thc  hisfh  prices  of  produce, 

for  aKncultural  ■'  '  fr>        X  I  ' 

products.  ^j-|(-j  |-j^g  rapidly  growing  demand,  both  foreign 
and  local,  will  tempt  to  a  wasteful  destruction 
of  timber  in  order  to  prepare  the  ground  for 
crops.  There  need  be  no  doubt  as  to  the  extra- 
ordinary productiveness  of  the  soils,  even  be- 
Large  crops,  yond  that  of  the  same  quality  of  lands  else- 
where ;  because  the  cHmatic  conditions  are 
extra  favorable  for  the  growth  of  all  crops 
suited  to  the  country.  There  are  some  crops, 
such  as  corn,  lima  beans  and  sweet  potatoes, 
which  are  contra-indicated.  The  cool  summer 
nights  check  the  maturing  of  these.  Wheat, 
also,  is  not  suited,  though  produced  to  some 
extent.  But  for  almost  everything  else  the 
conditions  favor  extra  production.  The  condi- 
tions could  scarcely  be  better  for  grass  and  hay. 
The  scantiness  of  the  summer  rains  is  more  than 
compensated  for  by  the  long  growing  seasons  in 
fall  and  spring.  No  soil  and  climate  could  be 
better  for  oats  and  potatoes.  The  reported 
yield  of  these  three  staples  would  be  called 
fabulous  if  not  established  by  good  testimony. 
Three  tons  of  hay,  loo  bushels  of  oats,  and  600 
bushels  of  potatoes  per  acre  are  above  the 
average,  but  by  no  means  reach  the  maximum 
on  the  best  lands.  Most  fruits  do  well.  In 
a  large  scale,     thc  productlott  of  hops  Wcst  Washingtou  has 


taviiirin-/ 


INDIANS    CATHERING    HOPS,    WASHINGTON    TERKllOkV, 
ON    LINE  OF  SEATTLE,   LARK    SHORE    AND    EASTERN    RAILWAY. 


WASHINGTON    TERRITORY.  75 

become  celebrated  as  to  quality  and  yield 
per  acre.  This  is  probably  the  largest  of  the 
agricultural  interests  in  this  part  of  the  Terri- 
tory, and  was  at  one  time  enormously  profit- 
able. Present  prices  are  thought  to  leave  some 
margin,  but  not  much. 

As  heretofore  remarked,  the  agricultural  con- 
ditions change  suddenly  on   crossing  the  Cas-    The  changed 
cade    Mountains    to    the    eastward ;    and    this  ^dkio^nsoTEaT 

Washington. 

change  begms  at  the  crest  hne,  and  is  more 
marked  on  the  mountain  side  and  near  its  base 
than  anywhere  else.  The  winters  are  longer 
and  more  severe,  and  the  summers  drier  and 
hotter.  There  is  natural  pasturage  similar  to 
that  of  the  plateau  country,  coming  up  to  the 
timber  line,  the  lower  edge  of  which  is  high  on 
the  mountain.  Much  of  this  mountain  land, 
though  covered  scantily  with  sage  brush  and 
bunch  grass,  is  really  fertile,  and,  besides  sup- 
porting cattle,  can  be  made  to  bring  fair  crops 
of  wheat  and  other  things ;  but  the  rainfall  is 
so  insufficient  that  irrigation  is  necessary  for 
the  development  of  any  large  agricultural  in- 
terest. Fortunately,  in  the  large  basin  of  the 
Yakima,  irrisfatinaf  streams  are  abundant,   and  Wat'on^'n'^e 

'00  V  akima  Valley. 

its  enterprising  people  are  availing  themselves 
of  this  happy  resource.  By  reference  to  a  good 
map  it  will  be  seen  that  the  Yakima  River  is 


76  WASHINGTON   TERRITORY. 

made  up  of  an  unusual  number  of  streams.  A 
group  of  these  come  together  near  Ellensburg^ 
and  another  group  near  the  town  of  North 
Yakima ;  and  there  are  said  to  be  large  bodies 
of  land  susceptible  of  irrigation  by  these  streams. 
The  Ellcnsburg  valley  is  thirty  miles  long,  and 
about  ten  miles  wide ;  and  is  the  best  agricul- 
tural section  in  Kittitas  County.  It  is  claimed 
that  forty  bushels  of  wheat  to  the  acre  can  be 
produced  here  without  irrigation ;  and  that 
1,000,000  bushels  of  wheat  were  actually  pro- 
duced in  this  basin  in  1887.  Hay,  hops,  vege- 
tables, berries  and  fruits  also  do  well  naturally, 
but  with  irrigation  the  product  is  uniformly 
large.  There  are  four  irrigating  canals  in  the 
valley.  The  Teanaw^ay  Ditch  Company  has 
one  fifty  miles  long  which  can  water  75,000 
acres  of  land.  The  Ellensburg  Ditch  Company 
has  a  ditch  ten  miles  long,  covering  10,000 
acres.  Mr.  Bull  has  one  six  miles  long,  and 
the  owners  of  the  new  roller  mill  have  two  and 
a  half  miles  of  ditch. 

Next  below  Kittitas  is  Yakima  County,  which 
contains  a  number  of  fertile  valleys,  and  also 
good  uplands,  and  is  well  supplied  with  irrigat- 
ing streams,  which  have  already  been  brought 
into  use.  Two  large  ditches  are  drawn  from 
the  Natchess  River.      Ditches  are  also  taken 


WASHINGTON    TERRITORY. 


77 


from  the  Ahtanum,  which  is  the  principal  hop- 
raising  section.  A  plateau,  three  by  ten  miles, 
between  the  Cowiche  and  Natchess,  will  all  be 
irrigated.  The  Moxee  Valley  is  largely  owned 
by  Eastern  and  other  capitalists,  who  seem  to 
be  expending  much  money  in  the  improvement 
of  the  country.  This  company  has  fourteen 
miles  of  ditch. 

By  the  help  of  these  ditches  the  people  of 
Yakima  Valley  are  producing  corn,  which  under  varied  crops. 
the  hot  sun  of  the  locality  perfects  its  product. 
Tobacco  has  been  tried  also  with  fair  results. 
And  the  Moxee  County  will  try  the  dairy  busi- 
ness. There  is  a  disposition  also  to  try  im- 
proved breeds  of  cattle.  The  spirit  of  enter- 
prise has  resulted  largely  from  the  passage  of 
the  Northern  Pacific  Railroad  along  the  Yaki- 
ma Valley ;  but  at  the  same  time  the  greatest 
obstacle  in  the  way  of  irrigation  lies  in  the 
ownership  of  alternate  sections  by  this  railroad. 
The  Yakima  Indians  have  good  lands,  and 
Klickatat  County  is  well  spoken  of.  Sweet 
potatoes,  tomatoes,  peaches,  grapes,  and  other 
things  requiring  much  heat,  are  said  to  thrive 
in  the  lower  parts  of  the  Yakima  Valley. 

We  enter  now  the  last  grand  division  of  the 
country,  the  Great  Plain,  or,  more  strictly,  pla-  The  Great  piain 
teau  of  the  Columbia   Riv^er.     In  spite  of  its 


78 


WASHINGTON    TERRITORY. 


unpromising   aspect,   this   is  the  chief  agricul- 
tural region  of  the  Pacific  States.     To  get  the 

Boundaries.  ^^_^^^  bouudarv,  find  the  point  (a  little  below 
Wallula  Junction)  where  Washington  and  Ore- 
gon both  corner  on  the  Columbia  River.  From 
this  point,  follow  the  Columbia  up  to  the  mouth 
of  Spokane  River  ;  follow  Spokane  River  up 
to  the  Idaho  line ;  follow  the  Idaho  line  south 
to  the  Oregon  line ;  follow  the  Oregon  line  due- 
west  to  the  beginning,  and  within  these  lines 
lies  the  region  which  is  destined  to  be  the  gran- 
ary of  the  Pacific  States. 

Early  history.  Thc  scttlcmcnt  of  this  plain  began  near 
Walla  Walla,  where  a  Christian  mission  was 
established  by  Whitman,  the  hero  and  martyr, 
who  saved  this  country  to  the  United  States. 
Hence  the  most  thickly  populated  part  of  the 
plain  is  between  the  Oregon  line  and  Snake 
River.  This  region  was  supplied  with  trans- 
portation by  the  Oregon  Railway  and  Navi- 
gation Company.  The  largest  agricultural  pro- 
duction is  here. 

Immigration  next  moved  north  of  Snake 
River  into  the  valley  of  the  Palouse  River,  and 
here  we  have  the  next  largest  area  of  production. 
When  the  Northern  Pacific  Railroad  came  in 
from  the  east,  the  new-comers  entered  the 
Great  Bend  country,  which  is  the  northern  half 


WASHINGTON   TERRITORY.  79 


of  the  plain.  The  chief  settlement  here  is  in  Spo- 
kane and  Lincoln  counties,  which  cover  nearly 
half  of  the  Great  Bend.  Douglas  County  covers 
the  remainder,  and  is  beginning  to  be  settled. 
There  are  ten  counties  on  the  plateau,  with  an 
aggregate  area  of   20,000  square  miles  and  a  Area  and  popu- 

1        •  r  r^  r  ^    •  i        •  lation. 

population  of  52,000.  Of  this  population, 
20,000  is  south  of  the  Snake  River,  14,000 
north  of  Snake  River,  and  18,000  in  the  Great 
Bend,  including  Spokane  Falls. 

The  great  staple  of  this  country  is  wheat,  Amazing  wheat 
though  almost  every  crop  is  grown,  and  most  "\n%'&\\l\\^' 
of  them  with  remarkable  results.  Corn  is 
grown  only  south  of  Snake  River,  where  it 
yields  thirty  bushels  to  the  acre.  The  average 
yield  of  wheat  year  by  year  for  the  entire  Ter- 
ritory is  put  by  Governor  Squire  at  twenty-five 
bushels,  and  no  one  who  knows  the  country  can 
regard  this  otherwise  than  as  a  moderate  esti- 
mate. This  average  places  Washington  Terri- 
tory beyond  comparison  first  among  the  States 
of  America,  and,  so  far  as  I  can  learn,  second 
only  to  England  among  other  nations.  Eng- 
land, by  the  highest  manuring,  has  brought  her 
wheat  product  up  to  thirty  bushels,  which  is 
double  the  average  of  former  years.  By  the  cen- 
sus of  1880,  Washington  Territory,  as  a  whole, 
leads  all  the  other  States.    The  following  tables 


8o  WASHINGTON    TERRITORY. 

orive   the  averas:c  of   ten  of   the  chief  wheat- 
producing  States : 


WHEAT,    PER   ACRE. 

BUSHELS, 

California 

.              .     15.8 

Dakota 

10.6 

Minnesota 

•   11-3 

New  York       .... 

•        15-7 

Ohio 

.   18.0 

Pennsylvania  .... 

13.4 

Virginia 

.     8.6 

Washington  Territory     . 

•        23.5 

Oregon 

.   16.8 

Illinois 

iS-5 

Railroads    over- 


The  year  1886  was  the  worst  wheat  year  ever 
known  in  Washington  Territory  :  its  crop  aver- 
aged sixteen  and  a  half  bushels. 

It  is  thought  that  the  wheat  crop  of  East 
Washington  for  1887  will  exceed  10,000,000 
'^vheTmed  wk"'  bushcls.  It  ccrtainly  went  far  beyond  the  abil- 
ity of  the  railroads  to  carry  it  away  before  win- 
ter. The  most  amazing  glut  of  freight  I  have 
ever  seen  was  along  the  railroads  in  Walla  Wal- 
la County.  Not  only  were  the  depots  crowded 
to  the  roof,  but  piles  of  sacks  larger  than  the 
depots  stood  outside.  It  was  a  common  sight 
through  the  whole  Snake  River  country  to  see 
10,000  sacks  of  wheat  in  one  pile  outside  of 
the  depots. 

The  price  of  wheat  runs  from  40  cents  to  60 


WASHINGTON   TERRITORY.  8  I 


Price    of    wheat 


cents  a  bushel ;  whilst  the  cost  of  production  on 
good  land  need  not  exceed  25  cents  a  bushel.  ^'"'J'uct'ion.'""' 
Mr.  Hamilton,  of  Colfax,  has  a  farm  which  he 
cultivates  entirely  by  hired  labor,  and  he  told 
me  that  the  cost  of  his  wheat  was  from  20 
cents  to  25  cents,  and  that  his  profit  was  $5  per 
acre.  Good  farms  about  Colfax  can  be  rented 
out  at  $2.50  per  acre  for  the  whole  farm.  Mr. 
Miles  C.  Moore,  of  Walla  Walla,  probably  the 
most  exact  business  man  of  that  region,  farms 
largely  by  hiring  labor.  He  gave  me  the  fol- 
lowing statement  of  his  own  operations : 

WHEAT    GROWING    AND    DELIVERING. 

Dr.       Cost  of  ploughing,  per  acre 

Cost  of  twice  harrowing  and  sowing  . 

Seed,  i^  bushel 

Thirteen  sacks  at  8  cents    . 

Keeping  up  fences 

Harvesting   and    hauling    five    miles    to 
depot,   17  cents  per  bushel 


Cr.        By  28  bushels  per  acre  at  50  cents 
Cost  of  production 

Profit $5  00 

This  product  could  not  be  expected  on  in- 
ferior lands,  but  with  the  working  farmer  the 
cost  of  production  is  less.     The  yield  of  wheat 


i$I 

50 

I 

00 

62 

I 

04 

10 

4 

76 

$9 

02 

$14 

00 

9 

00 

82  WASHINGTON   TERRITORY. 

on  the  best  lands  of  East  Washington  is  large — 
almost  beyond  belief.  Mr.  Houghton,  attorney 
for  the  Spokane  Falls  and  Palouse  Railroad, 
told  me  that  he  had  known  of  800  bushels  of 
wheat  being  raised  on  ten  acres ;  that  it  was 
measured  by  a  committee.  Mr.  Miles  C. 
Moore  has  known  1,000  acres  to  average  fifty 
bushels.  A  farmer  (apparently  honest)  told 
me  that  he  had  raised  seventy-five  bushels  to 
the  acre  over  his  whole  wheat  area.  His  crop 
was  harvested  by  the  acre,  and  the  area  meas- 
ured by  the  county  surveyor.  It  was  all  sold, 
except  seed.  Thus  he  got  both  area  and  pro- 
duct accurately.  Many  more  instances  w^ere 
stated  to  me  on  good  authority.  But  there  are 
different  grades  of  fertility  in  these  lands  as  in 
other  lands,  and  the  amount  of  rainfall  makes  a 
difference  also.  Wallula  has  but  twelve  inches 
of  rain,  and  is  unproductive.  There  must  be 
fifteen  inches  for  wheat.  Walla  Walla  has 
seventeen,  and  is  productive.  Nearer  to  the 
Blue  Mountains  the  rainfall  is  thirty  to  thirty- 
five  inches ;  here  are  the  largest  crops.  Spo- 
kane Falls  has  twenty-one  inches.  Yet  where 
else  on  the  earth  can  such  crops  be  raised  even 
occasionally  ?  I  have  been  growing  wheat  for 
thirty-five  years  on  good  land  in  the  Valley  of 
Virginia,  and  I  never  could  reach  thirty  bushels 


WASHINGTON   TERRITORY.  83 


to  the  acre  on  a  single  field ;  and  I  do  not  be- 
lieve that  my  neighbors  can  do  better  than  I 
do.     We  count  twenty  bushels  an  extra  crop. 

Besides  wheat,  these  lands  produce  barley  of 
superior  quality,  weighing  fifty  pounds  to  the  ^^"^  ^^[^"^  ^°^ 
bushel,  at  the  rate  of  fifty  to  sixty  bushels  per 
acre,  and  oats  weighing  thirty-eight  pounds  to 
the  bushel  at  the  same  rate  per  acre.  The 
weight  of  wheat  is  sixty  pounds  to  the  bushel. 
Barley  sells  at  90  cents  per  100  pounds,  and  is 
largely  shipped  East  to  be  made  into  beer. 

The  wheat  usually  grown  is  the  Little  Club,  a  ^ 

short,  strong  white  wheat ;  but  the  Little  Giant, 
Red  Chaff  and  Chili  Giant  are  productive. 
Spring  wheat  is  generally  sown,  but  winter 
wheat  is  probably  best.  Blue  stem  brings  five 
cents  extra  in  Portland.  Freight,  $5  a  ton 
from  Walla  Walla  to  Portland ;  thirty-three 
bushels  counted  a  ton. 

The  wheat  here  has  no  enemies — no  fly,  nor 
rust,  nor  weeds,  nor  lodging. 

Much  of  the  land  has  been  cultivated  for 
sixteen  years  without  rest  or  manure,  and  with- 
out diminution  of  crop  ;  but  the  best  farmers 
prefer  to  rest  and  cultivate  in  alternate  years. 
By  the  latter  system  the  ploughing  is  done  in 
the  off-year,  and  the  land  left  a  naked  fallow. 
This  is  thought  to  cleanse  the  land  and  renew 


Quality  of  the 
wheat. 


84  WASHINGTON   TERRITORY. 

its  Strength.  And  in  some  cases  in  which  lands 
The  soil  a  natu-  ^avc  an  cxccss  of  alkali,  their  productiveness 
rai  fertilizer,  jncrcases  wlth  cultivatlon.  Sometimes  the  land 
contains  as  much  as  eighteen  pounds  of  potash 
to  the  cubic  yard  ;  which  fact,  by  the  way,  sug- 
gests the  possibility  of  leaching  the  land  to  pro- 
cure potash  and  other  alkalies. 

The  wheat  of  the  Pacific  coast  has  4  per  cent, 
less  gluten  in  it  than  the  Eastern  wheat,  and  this 
practically  shuts  it  out  of  the  Eastern  market. 
Nitrogen  in  Washington  Territory  wheat  is  22 
per  cent,  to  26  per  cent,  whilst  in  the  Eastern  it 
is  34  per  cent,  to  40  per  cent.,  and  inferior  in 
quality.  The  true  gluten  is  too  brittle.  It  is 
better  than  the  California  wheat,  however,  which 
has  4  per  cent,  to  6  per  cent,  less  nitrogenous 
matter,  and  the  gluten  inferior  in  quality.  But 
the  California  wheat  makes  a  whiter  flour  than 
the  Washington  Territory  wheat,  which  is  an 
advantage  in  selling.  It  should  be  remarked  that 
the  term  nitrogen,  when  applied  technically  to 
wheat,  includes  true  gluten,  the  phosphates,  and 
all  albuminoids,  and  excludes  starch,  sugar  and 
water,  which  latter  comprise  about  seventy-two 
per  cent,  of  the  wheat.  Still,  the  Washington 
Territory  wheat-grower  has  the  advantage  in 
quantity  per  acre,  which  gives  him  a  better 
profit  than  is  now  made  in  California  or  any 


WASHINGTON    TERRITORY.  85 

Eastern  State.  The  price  at  Spokane  Falls 
varies  from  45  cents  to  60  cents  per  bushel, 
which  would  give  the  farmer  $10  to  $12.50  per 
acre  for  his  crop,  which  is  more  than  the  aver- 
age Eastern  farmer  gets,  whilst  the  cost  of  pro- 
duction ought  to  be,  and  ultimately  will  be,  less. 

Flour  is  sent  to  Eno^land,  by  Cape  Horn,  at  Jhe  market  in 

c'  '        -^  i  '  England,  China, 

a    cost    of    $1.30    per    barrel    from    Spokane    Aslau^'Jorts. 

Falls,  and  in  Liverpool  brings  within  20  cents 

a  barrel  as  much  as  the  Minneapolis  flour,  and 

it  is  also  shipped  to   China  and  other  Asiatic 

ports,  where  it  seems  destined  to  supersede  rice 

for  bread.     China  raises  wheat,  but  not  nearly 

enough  for    home  consumption.     The  Asiatic 

and  Oceanic  market  will,  ultimately,  want  all 

the  wheat  of  our  Pacific  States. 

Besides  the  cereals,  vegetables  of  nearly  all  ^^th^itveV 
kinds  grow  to  great  size  on  this  plateau.  Those 
requiring  a  more  uniformly  warm  temperature, 
such  as  tomatoes,  sweet  potatoes,  beans  and 
peanuts,  do  best  in  the  region  lying  south  of 
the  Snake  River,  which  is  much  less  elevated 
than  the  country  north  and  east.  And  this  is 
true  also  of  peaches,  grapes,  and  other  fruits  re- 
quiring similar  conditions.  But  as  regards  most 
vegetables,  especially  roots,  and  also  fruits,  the 
plateau  generally  is  very  productive.  This  is 
almost  unaccountable  in  view  of  the  fact  that 


tables. 


86  WASHINGTON    TERRITORY. 

Crops  without    after  the  first  of  Tune  there  is  little  or  no  rain 

rain.  -^ 

until  late  in  the  fall.  Whilst  rain  seems  to  be 
necessary  to  start  the  small  seeds,  large  crops  of 
potatoes  are  sometimes  raised  without  a  drop  of 
rain.  The  moisture  must  come  partly  from  the 
soil,  which  has  retained  the  winter  water,  and 
partly  from  the  deposition  of  moisture  by  the 
sea-air  which  comes  through  the  gap  in  the  Cas- 
cade Mountains  and  penetrates  the  deep,  loose 
soil.  Mr.  Paul  F.  Mohr  has  measured  a  pars- 
nip four  feet  long  and  eight  inches  across  the 
top.  I  saw  potatoes  in  Colfax,  thirty  of  which 
filled  a  bushel  measure. 

As  before  intimated,  I  doubt  whether  the 
plateau  can  ever  become  a  good  grass  and  hay 
country.  For  long  forage,  besides  straw,  the 
people  must  depend  upon  the  cereals  mowed 
in  the  green  state. 
West  (not  East)       For  this  rcasou  the  plateau,  as  will  also  be 

vVashington  ^ 

'UttieVo^unfJ^!'  the  case  with  the  great  plains  eastward,  can 
never  carry  the  number  of  cattle  that  can  be 
grazed  in  a  grass  country.  A  farmer  told  me 
it  required  fifteen  acres  of  bunch  grass  to  sup- 
port one  horse  or  steer,  whilst  in  a  grass  country 
three  acres  are  ample,  and  on  the  best  sods  one 
acre  is  sufficient.  Still,  the  bunch  grass  is,  and 
ought  to  be,  utilized.  And  the  areas  of  unim- 
proved land  are  so  vast  that  the  herds  of  cattle, 


WASHINGTON    TERRITORY.  87 

horses  and  sheep  which  range  upon  them 
altogether  constitute  a  large  item  of  wealth. 
And  on  these  treeless  plains  the  effort  seems 
to  be  to  train  the  cattle  and  horses  to  live  like 
buffaloes  and  wild  horses  in  both  summer  and 
winter. 

The  tree  problem  will,  I  think,  work  out 
satisfactorily,  though,  of  course,  no  such  trees 
can  ever  be  produced  there  as  abound  in  West 
Washington.  Walla  Walla  is  embowered  in 
trees  of  artificial  growth.  The  Lombardy  pop- 
lar seems  to  have  been  most  successful.  At 
various  points  I  saw  plantations  of  box  elder, 
and  was  told  that  this  tree  is  easily  grown. 
The  Cottonwood  is  said  to  grow  readily.  Cap- 
tain John  McGowan  reports  the  successful 
culture  of  locust,  walnut,  maple  and  catalpa  in 
Lincoln  County.  He  says,  also,  that  the  plum, 
peach,  apricot,  apple,  pear  and  grape  succeed  : 
and  so  with  strawberries,  raspberries  and  black- 
berries. All  these  fruits  are  grown  about  Spo- 
kane Falls,  but  I  think  that  the  grape  and  peach 
sometimes  fail  to  mature.  A  good  many  plan- 
tations of  trees  have  been  set  out  under  the 
timber-culture  act  of  Congress,  but  it  is  thought 
that  much  imposition  has  been  practised  on  the 
Government  by  the  failure  to  take  proper  care 
of  the  trees  after  they  were  planted.    The  truth 


Tree-planting. 


88  WASHINGTON    TERRITORY. 

about  the  whole  matter  seems  to  be  that,  with 
proper  care,  trees  of  most  varieties  may  be 
grown  on  the  plateau,  but  that  they  will  grow 
slowly  and  not  attain  large  size.  I  might  add 
many  details  concerning  the  products  of  this 
wonderful  country,  but  these  will  suffice  as  il- 
lustrations. 

LABOR. 

Good  supply  of  Under  this  head  I  will  merely  say  that,  though 
more  wanted,  j^j^g  laboriug  populatlou  of  Washingtou  Terri- 
tory is  very  mixed  and  has  not  the  settled  char- 
acter of  labor  in  the  old  States,  and  though 
many  more  laborers  could  find  employment, 
there  does  not  seem  to  be  any  special  deficiency 
of  this  class,  and  the  high  wages  that  are  paid 
will,  no  doubt,  bring  in  more  workmen  as  they 
are  wanted. 

Governor  Squire,  in  his  report  for  1885,  page 
Wages.  41,  gives  quite  a  detailed  list  of  wages,  which 
shows  that  the  rates  are  at  least  fifty  per  cent, 
higher  than  in  the  Middle  States,  and  double 
what  is  paid  in  the  Southern  Atlantic  States. 
Farm  laborers  get  from  $25  to  $30  a  month 
and  board.  Loggers  pay  from  $35  to  $40  per 
month  to  common  hands,  and  $65  to  $70  to 
teamsters.  Skilled  labor  receives  high  wages, 
and  railway  contractors  sometimes  have  to  pay 


WASHINGTON   TERRITORY.  89 

$2  to  $2.50  per  day  for  common  hands.  Ser- 
vant girls  are  scarce,  and  wanted,  at  $15  a 
month  and  board.  Hotel  servants  get  from 
$20  to  $25  a  month.  Chinamen  are  exten- 
sively employed  for  family  servants.  Many  of 
them  are  tolerable  cooks,  and  get  $30  a  month 
and  board.  Indians  are  working  more  than 
formerly.  The  men  "slash"  the  forests,  pick 
hops,  etc.  Squaws  always  were  industrious — 
had  to  be  !  The  Sandwich  Islands,  as  well  as 
China  and  Japan,  furnish  some  laborers.  The 
employers  are  favorable  to  this  class  of  immi- 
grants, whilst  the  white  laborers  are  bitterly 
opposed  to  them.  Canada  will  continue  to 
employ  cheap  Chinese  labor,  and  thus  place 
our  Pacific  States  at  a  disadvantage,  if  the 
present  policy  of  excluding  Chinese  labor  is 
continued. 


THE    GEOLOGY    OF    WASHINGTON 
TERRITORY. 

HISTORICAL    AND    STRUCTURAL. 

I  SHALL  not  say  much  about  the  historical 
geology  of  Washington  Territory,  because  it  con- 
tains some  problems  which  have  never  been 
adequately  studied,  and  which  I  had  no  oppor- 
tunity to  investigate.  It  is  to  be  hoped  that 
the  regular  work  of  the  Government  Survey 
may  soon  be  extended  to  this  important  region. 
Hitherto  it  has  been  neglected.  A  few  able 
geologists  such  as  Joseph  Le  Conte,  Pumpelly, 
Newberry,  Bailey  Willis,  and  some  others,  have 
made  visits  to  the  country  on  special  errands ; 
but  except  the  treatise  of  Bailey  Willis  in  Vol. 
XV.  of  the  Census  Reports,  and  some  brief 
allusions  to  the  country  in  systematic  works 
on  general  geology,  I  had  nothing  to  guide  me 
as  to  the  structure  of  the  country,  or  the  age  of 
its  deposits.  For  all  practical  purposes,  how- 
ever, I  had  no  difficulty  in  understanding  the 
work  I  had  to  do. 

All  agree  that  the  country  west  of  the  Rocky 
Mountains  proper,  and  including  nearly  all  of 


WA  SHING  TON    TERR  I  TOR  V. 


91 


California,  Oregon,  and  Washington  Territory, 
is  geologically  younger  than  the  main  range, 
and  younger  than  the  Appalachian  country. 
At  the  close  of  the  carboniferous  period  proper, 
the  Rocky  Mountain  range  constituted  a  sepa- 
rate continent,  with  a  sea  covering  what  is  now 
the  main  Mississippi  Valley,  including  the  wide 
plains  immediately  east  of  the  Rocky  Moun- 
tains, and  connecting,  probably,  with  the  polar 
sea,  whilst  the  Pacific  Ocean  washed  the  west- 
ern edge  of  this  Rocky  Mountain  continent ;  so 
that  until  after  that  period  there  were  no  Wah- 
satch  and  Uintah  mountains,  no  Sierra  Nevada 
and  Cascade  Range,  no  Coast  Range,  and,  of 
course,  none  of  the  intervening  country.  It  is 
quite  possible,  however,  that  there  was  a  third 
continent  lying  west  of  the  present  continent 
in  what  is  now  ocean,  from  whose  waste  the 
sediments  were  derived  which  were  afterwards 
elevated  and  became  the  land  now  included  in 
the  three  States  bordering  the  Pacific,  whilst 
the  mother  continent,  which  furnished  the  sedi- 
ments, sank  beneath  the  ocean.  If  there  were 
such  an  outlying  continent,  additional  force  is 
given  to  the  views  of  Dr.  George  F.  Becker, 
endorsed  by  Dr.  C.  A.  White,  and  to  some 
extent  anticipated  by  Prof.  J.  D.  Whitney, 
which  render  it  probable  on  other  grounds  that 


The  Western 
Coast     regions 

younger  than 

the   Rocky 
Mountains  and 
Appalachians. 


An  outlying 
Continent. 


WASHINGTON   TERRITORY. 


the  two  great  lines  of  mountains,  viz.,  the  Sierra 
Nevada  and  Cascade  Range  and  the  Coast 
Range,  began  their  upward  movement  simul- 
taneously during  the  early  ages  of  the  Juro- 
Trias.     The   rise  of  these  mountain  lines  was 


The  rise  of  the  gradual    and    marked    by    reverse    movements, 

West  Coast.  i  i  r  •  i  i  r  i 

whereby,  after  appearmg  above  the  surface,  they 
sank  and  rose  alternately,  receiving  fresh  sedi- 
ments, which,  especially  in  the  Washington 
Territory  region  and  part  of  Oregon  and  Cali- 
fornia, when  above  water,  became  clothed  with 
an  enormous  vegetation  which  was  packed  into 
coal-beds,  layer  after  layer.  In  the  lapse  of  time 
these  all  came  above  the  surface.  The  moun- 
tains grew  higher  and  higher,  attended  by  in- 
tense heat  in  the  axes  of  the  ranges,  and  at  dif- 
ferent periods,  down  almost  to  the  present, 
exhibiting  volcanic  action  on  an  enormous 
scale.  At  other  periods,  a  large  portion  of  the 
region  was  visited  by  ice-floods,  succeeded  by 
water-floods,  which  top-dressed  great  areas  with 
a  mingled  deposit  of  gravel,  sand  and  mud,  and 
carried  away  vast  blocks  of  the  rocky  substance 
of  the  country,  and  cut  deep  channels  in  all  the 
highlands. 

As  Washington  Territory  is  now  presented 
to  us,  it  exhibits  a  scene  of  mountains,  lowlands, 
and  elevated  plateaus,  which  are  full  of  interest 


LOWER    SNOQUALMIE    FALLS,    268    FEET    IIKIH, 
ON    LINE  OF  SEATTLE,  LAKE    SHORE    AND    EASTERN    RAILWAY. 


WASHINGTON   TERRITORY. 


93 


and  variety.  Some  general  account  of  its  to- 
pography has  already  been  given. 

The  core  of  these  high  ranges  is  chiefly  rock 
originally  stratified,  which  has  been  metamor- 
phosed by  heat,  and  perhaps  inside  of  all,  with 
branches  bursting  out  at  various  places,  are  plu- 
tonic  rocks  which  have  never  been  stratified. 
This  is  the  state  of  things  on  the  top  of  the 
Cascade  Range,  near  Snoqualmie  Pass,  as  well 
as  on  some  subordinate  peaks  and  ranges.  On 
Mount  Logan,  the  Denny  Mountain,  etc.,  are 
large  bodies  of  syenitic  granite  whose  age  I  have 
no  means  of  determining.  Associated  with 
this  are  quartzites  of  fine  grain,  and  extremely 
hard,  porphyries,  and  serpentinoid  and  chloritic 
rocks  of  different  sorts,  in  which  are  imbedded 
the  magnetic  iron  ores ;  and  also  large  beds  of 
crystalline  limestone,  both  fine  and  coarse 
grained.  Crossing  these,  at  various  angles,  are 
veins  containing  the  precious  and  base  metals. 

Whether  these  rocks  are  Palaeozoic  or  Arch- 
aean in  their  origin,  or  whether  they  are  simply 
the  metamorphosed  strata  of  the  upper  Juro- 
Trias,  or  the  lower  Cretaceous,  is  a  question  for 
future  study.  These  plutonic  and  metamorphic 
rocks  are  believed  to  extend  through  the  moun- 
tainous region  lying  north  of  the  Columbia 
River ;  and  they  are  reported  also  in  the  Coeur 


The  rocks  and 
minerals  of 
the    Cascade 
Mountains. 


The  metamor- 
phic rocks  of 
doubtful   origin. 


94 


WA  SNIiVG  TON    TERRI  TOR  Y. 


d'Alene  Mountains.  It  is  quite  certain  that  on 
both  flanks  of  the  Cascade  Mountains  we  find 
in  their  natural  state  Cretaceous  conglomerates, 
sandstones,  and  shales  bearing  coal,  at  least  in 
their  upper  beds.  The  deposits  on  the  east  side 
of  the  mountain  have  been  much  grooved  and 
denuded,  until  we  find  only  small  areas  of  the 
Cretaceous  strata  on  the  Yakima  and  the  Wen- 
atchie  rivers,  and  the  Peshastan  ridge  between, 
with  a  patch  of  the  coal-bearing  rocks  on  the 
Yakima,  and  another  on  the  Wenatchie.  On 
the  west  side  of  the  mountain  range,  the  Creta- 
ceous and  coal-bearing  areas  are  much  larger. 
The  coal  beds.  Thc  coal  dcposlts  of  all  the  Cretaceous  regions 
of  the  West  are  regarded  as  belonging  to  the 
Laramie  period  which  closed  the  Cretaceous  age, 
and  constitutes  a  transition  period  between  the 
Cretaceous  and  Tertiary.  But  I  do  not  regard 
this  question  as  settled.  The  inferior  lignites 
of  the  Rocky  Mountains,  and  the  semi-lignites 
which  constitute  the  upper  beds  of  the  Wash- 
ington Cretaceous  coal  properly  belong  to  the 
Laramie  period  ;  but  to  include  the  underlying 
bituminous  coals  in  the  same  group  may  be  a 
matter  of  question.  More  will  be  said  in  ref- 
erence to  these  coal  beds  under  the  next  head. 
The  Western  coal-bearing  rocks  begin  on  outly- 
ing mountains,  standing  at  the  west  foot  of  the 


WASHINGTON   TERRITORY.  95 

main  Cascade  Range.  These  outlyers  are  irreg- 
ular in  size,  height  and  direction ;  but  many  of 
them  are  i,ooo  to  1,500  feet  in  height,  and  they 
are  found  in  groups,  separated  by  denuded 
spaces,  from  the  Cascade  Mountains  to  the 
Pacific  Ocean,  and  from  the  Canada  Hne  nearly 
to  the  Columbia  River.  The  largest  and  most 
important  field,  however,  lies  south  of  the  Sno- 
qualmie  River  and  between  Puget  Sound  and 
the  Cascade  Mountains.  Some  of  the  coals 
found  in  the  most  southern  part  of  the  field, 
and  on  the  Coast  Range,  are  referred  to  the 
Tertiary  period. 

A  smaller  and  wholly  undeveloped  field  lies 
on  the  Skagit  River,  and  another  on,  and  west 
of  Bellingham  Bay.  Similar  beds  are  found 
on  Vancouver's  Island.  Coal-bearing  strata  are 
found  also  on  the  Chehalis,  Des  Chutes,  Nis- 
qually  and  Cowlitz  rivers.  Whilst  some  of 
these  southern  and  western  strata  are  referred 
to  the  Tertiary  period,  there  has  been  no  sys- 
tematic study  of  their  geologic  relations. 

It  seems  to  be  settled,  however,  that  the  lofty    ihevokanic 

1  .  ,      .  I    •     I  r  •  mountains  ai 

volcanic    mountams   which    form    conspicuous     their  ^reat 
features  in  the  scenery  of  the  Cascade  Range, 
were  active  in  the  Tertiary  period,  and  not  only 
built  their  own  crests  9,000  to  15,000  feet  high, 
but  inundated  much  of  the  surrounding  country 


9 6  WASHINGTON    TERRITORY. 

with  lava  to  an  amazing  breadth  and  depth. 
In  this  region,  Mount  Baker,  Mount  Ranier 
(also  called  Mount  Tacoma),  Mount  St.  Helens 
and  Mount  Adams  in  Washington  Territory, 
and  Mount  Hood  in  Oregon,  were  the  centres 
of  the  grandest  operations ;  and  so  continued 
for  ages. 

We  see  gigantic  results  of  this  activity  in  the 
The  wonderful  cafTon  i,ooo  to  ovcr  3,000  feet  deep,  which  the 
lumbia  River.  Columbla  Rlvcr  has  cut  through  this  volcanic 
matter  in  its  passage  through  the  Cascade 
Mountains.  This  volcanic  deposit  consists  of 
brown  basalt,  which  in  cooling  crystallized  into 
vertical,  polygonal  prisms,  or  columns,  which 
have  been  sculptured  by  the  weather  into  end- 
lessly varied  forms,  beautiful,  fantastic,  and 
grand ;  altogether  presenting  a  scene,  or  succes- 
sion of  scenes,  for  twenty-five  miles,  such  as  can 
nowhere  else  be  equaled  on  the  American 
continent,  unless  it  be  near  by,  on  a  tributary 
of  the  Columbia,  the  Des  Chutes  River  of 
Oregon. 
The^preat^sheets  Thls  grcat  pllc  of  basalt  was  built  up  by 
a  succession  of  overflows  of  lava,  the  joints 
of  which  are  plainly  visible.  The  basaltic 
area,  though  perhaps  thickest  here,  continues 
with  a  thickness  of  1,000  to  1,500  feet  up  the 
Columbia  for  hundreds  of  miles;    indeed  the 


WASHINGTON    TERRITORY.  97 

whole  plateau,  or  prairie  country  of  East  Wash- 
ington, which  is  a  quadrilateral  of  some  200 
miles  in  diameter,  is  but  a  continuation  of  the 
great  lava-sheet  seen  at  the  Cascades  and  the 
Dalles.  Through  it  the  Columbia  and  Snake 
rivers  have  cut  deep  channels ;  and  other, 
though  shallower  channels,  have  been  cut  across 
the  surface  of  the  plateau  by  departed  streams. 

Whether    the    extremely   fertile   soil   which    P^'s'"  °f  4.^= 

J  rich  soil  of  East 

overlies  the  basalt  in  East  Washington  is  a  top-  '^^^^'"s'o"- 
dressing  of  volcanic  ashes,  or  is  decomposed 
basalt,  cannot  readily  be  determined.  It  can- 
not be  referred  to  the  Glacial  period,  as  I 
observed  no  appearance  of  drift  anywhere  ex- 
cept in  the  valley  of  Spokane  River.  Such  a 
wide  spread  of  lava  is  not  unexampled  in  view 
of  somewhat  similar  overflows  now  occurring 
at  intervals  in  the  Sandwich  Islands,  where  lava 
runs  and  spreads  itself  Hke  water.  These 
Hawaiian  flows  are  mentioned  by  Captain  C. 
F.  Button  in  his  report  of  the  Zuni  Plateau. 

A  ledge  of  sandstone  belonging  to  the 
Meioccne  Tertiary  is  visible  under  the  basalt 
at  the  lower  cascade  in  the  Columbia  River; 
and  a  stratum  of  iron  ore  and  vegetable  matter 
is  found  on  the  Willamette  at  Oswego,  lying 
horizontally  between  great  masses  of  basalt, 
showing   a   long    interval    between    overflows. 


q8  WASHINGTON   TERRITORY. 

The  volcanoes    Thcsc  cruDtions  probably  continued  with  dimin- 

not  wholly  i  i  ^  ^  ^ 

extinct.  ishing  force  until  near  the  present  time.  It  is 
reported  that  Mount  Hood  has  sent  out  smoke 
or  steam  since  the  settlement  of  Oregon.  The 
crater  of  Mount  Ranier  was  visited  by  two 
gentlemen  within  a  few  years,  and  a  night  spent 
in  its  bottom  by  the  side  of  a  jet  of  steam. 
Such,  at  least,  is  the  account  given  by  one  of 
them,  Mr.  Stevens. 
Glacial  drift.  Thc  Quaternary  or  Drift  Period  has  left 
abundant,  though  by  no  means  universal,  traces 
of  its  presence.  As  before  intimated,  I  saw  no 
relics  of  it  in  East  Washington,  except  a  de- 
posit of  rather  small,  generally  very  small,  and 
well-rounded  quartz  gravel,  thickly  strewing, 
and  really  forming,  the  flats  bordering  Spokane 
River.  This  gravel  macadamizes  the  streets  of 
the  City  of  Spokane  Falls,  and  the  neighboring 
roads,  so  as  to  make  them  firm  at  all  seasons. 
These  gravelly  bottoms  are  not  tillable  except 
in  a  few  spots. 

The  undulating  country  north  and  east  of 
Puget  Sound  is  in  many  places  deeply  covered 
with  drift  material  which  shows  the  effect  of 
both  ice  and  water.  Blocks  of  partially  round- 
ed granite  several  feet  in  diameter  are  found  on 
the  hills  around  Seattle.  This  gravel  deposit  is 
not  often  found  on  high  points,  but  there  is  a 


WASHINGTON    TERRITORY. 


99 


ridge  in  the  Cascade  Mountains,  near  Salal 
Prairie,  which  is  thickly  bestrewed  at  an  eleva- 
tion of  i,ooo  feet.  This,  however,  was  quite 
exceptional,  and  may  be  the  lateral  moraine  of 
a  local  glacier.  The  deposit  around  Seattle 
is  not  only  easy  to  cultivate  (its  soil  being  a 
light  blue  loam),  but  seems  fertile.  The  bot- 
tom lands  are  free  from  gravel. 
So  much  for  the  general  geology. 

ECONOMIC    GEOLOGY. 

Note. — The  location  of  the  coal-fields  and  collieries  mentioned  in 
the  following  pages  may  be  seen  on  an  accompanying  map. 

Under  the  head  of  Economic  Geology,  I 
shall  describe  with  more  detail  the  mineral  beds 
which  have  a  commercial  value,  and  in  the  fol- 
lowing order: — I.  Coal;  II.  Iron  Ore;  III. 
Granite,  Limestone,  and  Marble;  IV.  Precious  Thickness  of  the 

'  Coal  Measures. 

and  Base  Metals. 

I.  Coal. — The  thickness  of  the  Coal  Measures 
of  the  Puget  Sound  basin  is  estimated  by  Bailey 
Willis  at  something  like  14,000  feet,  though  he 
admits  the  obvious  possibility  of  error  in  the 
calculation  by  reason  of  undiscovered  faults. 
We  may  fairly  expect  them,  however,  to  be 
thicker  than  the  same  group  in  the  Rocky 
Mountains,  which  measure  about  9,000  feet. 
As  heretofore  remarked,  the  sediments  become 


lOO  WASHINGTON   TERRITORY. 

thinner  from  west  to  east.  Of  course,  the  maxi- 
mum thickness  is  not  to  be  expected  in  every 
locaHty.  Mr.  Willis's  estimate  was  made  in  the 
Wilkeson  and  Green  River  fields,  and  really 
did  not  reach  the  limit  of  the  coal-bearing  rocks. 
The  coal  rocks  of  the  Cedar  River  and  Sno- 
qualmie  basin  have  never,  so  far  as  I  know, 
been  estimated,  but  probably  this  group  is  equal 
in  thickness  to  that  of  any  other  part  of  the 
field.  The  difficulty  of  measurement  arises 
from  the  numerous  fractures  and  changes  of 
strike  which  exist. 
Fifteen  workable       fhe  uumbcr  of  dlstluct  workablc  seams  of 

seams. 

coal  of  three  feet  and  upwards,  belonging  to 
the  measures,  may  safely  be  put  down  at  not 
less  than  fifteen. 

Before  considering  the  quality  of  these  coals, 
I  will,  for  better  understanding,  make  some 
o?coa[described  P^cfatory  statements  in  regard  to  the  character 
of  coals  generally.  Charcoal  has  greater  purity 
than  mineral  coals  usually  have,  because  there 
is  nothing  in  the  charcoal  except  what  naturally 
belongs  to  the  woody  matter.  Mineral  coal, 
however,  having  been  buried  in  water,  mud, 
and  sand,  must,  almost  of  necessity,  have  some 
mixture  of  foreign  matter,  either  slate,  which  is 
simply  hardened  mud ;  silica,  which  may  have 
been  derived  from  sand  ;  iron  and  sulphur,  some 


WASHINGTON    TERRITORY.  loi 

of  which  may  have  been  in  the  wood,  but  most 
of  it,  probably,  introduced  in  solutions;  to 
which  should  be  added,  unexpelled  oxygen, 
which  is  not  only  useless  as  fuel,  but  which 
combines  with  a  portion  of  the  contained  hy- 
drogen, and  forms  water  in  the  substance  of 
the  coal. 

The  proportion  of  ash  in  coals  of  the  same 
class  is  usually  determined  by  the  amount  of 
slate  in  the  coal,  in  addition  to  the  mineral 
matter  which  belonged  originally  to  the  vege- 
table material  from  which  the  coal  was  formed. 
In  the  pure  state,  the  proportion  of  ash  in- 
creases as  the  transformation  of  woody  fibre 
goes  on  from  peat  to  anthracite. 

It  is  worth  while  to  note  what  are  the  changes    The  chemical 

'-'  changes  in  coal 

which  take  place  in  the  vegetable  matter  during  ''^'^^• 
the  process.  It  may  be  described  in  a  word  as 
a  progressive  loss  of  oxygen,  and  by  this  loss 
the  coal  becomes  richer,  for  the  reason  just 
given.  The  deoxidizing  process  is  carried  on 
by  means  of  chemical  changes  in  the  substance 
of  the  coaly  matter.  The  oxygen  combining 
with  a  certain  proportion  of  the  carbon,  forms 
carbon  di-oxide,  or  carbonic  acid  gas ;  and  a 
certain  other  portion,  combining  with  hydro- 
gen, forms  water.  Both  of  these  are  volatile 
in  their  character,  and  gradually  escape.     An- 


I02  WASHINGTON    TERRITORY. 

Other  loss  is  effected  by  the  combination  of  hy- 
drogen and  carbon,  forming  marsh  gas.  We 
have  deadly  proof  that  these  combinations  are 
in  progress  in  all  coal  mines  by  the  occurrence 
of  "choke-damp"  and  "fire-damp,"  which  are 
the  miners'  names  for  these  gases. 
Deficient  no-         Unfortunatcly,  we  have  no  settled   nomen- 

raenclature.  ,       .  .  ,  .  . 

clature  for  the  varieties  of  coal,  excepting  the 
broad  names  lignite  or  brown  coal,  bituminous 
coal,  and  anthracite.  Even  the  term  "  bitumi- 
nous "  is  scientifically  inaccurate,  there  being,  in 
fact,  no  bitumen  in  any  coal.  But  it  is  applied 
to  such  coals  as  contain  more  oxygen  and  vola- 
tile combustible  matter  and  water  than  anthra- 
cite, and  less  of  these  elements  than  lignite. 
The  term  lignite  is  made  to  include  a  great 
variety  of  substances,  covering  the  lignites  of 
the  Juro-Trias  of  James  River  (Dutch  Gap), 
which  retain  not  only  the  structure,  but  the  ap- 
pearance of  decaying  wood ;  the  lignites  of  the 
State  of  Mississippi,  which  are  of  the  same  geo- 
logic age  as  those  of  the  Rocky  Mountains, 
but  which,  owing  to  their  watery  and  crumbly 
character,  are  unfit  for  market ;  the  lignites  of 
the  Grand  and  Moreau  rivers  of  Dakota, 
which  are  reported  to  have  no  commercial 
value ;  the  lignites  of  Bozeman,  Montana, 
which  are  really  valuable,  but  soon  break  down 


WASHINGTON    TERRITORY.  103 

into  chips  and  grits ;  the  hgnites  of  Green 
River,  Wyoming,  which  are  firm,  bright,  lump 
coals ;  and  the  lignites  of  King  County,  Wash- 
ington Territory,  many  of  which  are  hard, 
bright,  steam  and  shipping  coals.  And  when 
brought  to  the  laboratory,  it  is  found  that 
chemically  these  lignites  vary  even  more  than 
they  do  optically. 

This  want  of  a  varied  nomenclature  is  to  be 
regretted,    because   it    sometimes   handicaps  a      Ljgnitean 

'-'  i  unsuitable  name 

good  coal  with  an  inferior  name.  It  is  only  of  o/Va^shin°gton 
late  that  the  Laramie  or  Cretaceous  coals  of  '^^'^"'°^- 
Washington  Territory  have  been  divided  into 
lignites,  bituminous  coals,  and  anthracites. 
These  grade  into  each  other  so  insensibly  that 
it  would  be  impossible  to  classify  them  sharply. 
None  of  the  lignites  which  I  saw  were  as  low 
in  grade  as  the  typical  lignite.  The  woody 
structure  was  quite  discernible  in  some  samples 
of  the  Franklin  coal,  and  less  in  the  Newcastle 
and  Green  River;  but  in  respect  to  the  two 
latter,  I  could  not  with  the  naked  eye  discern 
more  of  the  woody  structure  than  I  have  seen 
in  some  of  the  West  Virginia  coals,  which  be- 
long to  the  Carboniferous  period.  I  sat  by 
fires  of  Newcastle  and  neighboring  coals  for  a 
month,  and  observed  no  unusual  amount  of 
smoke,   and   no   peculiar  odor.      By  analysis, 


I04  WASHINGTON    TERRITORY. 

these  coals  show  a  larger  percentage  of  oxygen 
than  the  typical  bituminous  coal,  but  decidedly 
less  than  is  found  in  the  brown  coal  of  Ger- 
many, or  in  some  of  the  lignites  of  Montana. 
They  need  a  new  name.  Their  heating  power 
is  not  so  great  as  that  of  the  bituminous  coals 
of  the  same  region.  Their  streak  and  powder 
are  less  black,  and  their  fracture  more  con- 
choidal,  but  not  decidedly  so. 

The  bituminous  coals  have  the  usual  cubical 
fracture.  The  Wilkeson  readily  breaks  down 
into  small  cubes.  The  lignites  are  black  and 
lustrous.  They  come  out  as  lumpy  as  ordinary 
coal,  and,  when  exposed  to  weather,  do  not 
break  up  into  powder  and  grits  like  ordinary 
lignite.  This  is  true,  at  least,  of  the  Newcastle 
coal. 
The  coking         Thc  cokinp^  quality  of  these  coals  cannot  be 

quality  not  gen-  <:^      i.  J 

coals,' but'^f"und  determined  by  calculating  the  proportion  be- 
tween the  fixed  carbon  and  the  volatile,  com- 
bustible matter.  I  am  not  sure  that  Professor 
Eraser's  fuel  ratio  tables  are  a  safe  guide  in  any 
case.  So  far  as  now  known,  only  a  few  of  the 
Washington  Territory  coals  can  be  made  into 
good  coke.  On  this  point,  however,  we  have 
only  laboratory  and  rough  field  tests,  excepting 
at  the  Wilkeson  mines,  where  twenty-five  ovens 
were  turning  out  a  superior  qualit}^  of  coke,  as 


in  some. 


WASHINGTON    TERRITORY.  105 

proved  by  every  test  save  the  use  of  it  in  high 
furnace  stacks,  in  which  there  had  been  no 
opportunity  for  trial  It  is  claimed  by  many 
persons  that  seams  on  Green  River,  Skagit, 
Yakima,  and  Snoqualmie  will  furnish  good  cok- 
ing coal.  The  coal  on  Snoqualmie  Mountain, 
near  Hop  Ranch,  has  not  been  studied,  but  it 
certainly  has  the  external  characteristics  of 
good  coking  coal,  and  Mr.  Peter  Kirke  made 
a  rough  trial  of  it  in  an  earth-pit  with  decidedly 
encouraging  results. 

Somewhat  similar  coal  is  found  on  Raging 
River,  but  where  opened,  so  much  slate  was 
interleaved  with  the  coal  that  washing  would 
be  necessary  before  use.  More  will  be  said 
hereafter  with  regard  to  these  coals ;  but  the  re- 
mark may  be  repeated  here  in  respect  to  the 
entire  Puget  Sound  basin,  that  much  additional 
examination  is  necessary  before  its  coals  will  be 
fully  understood.  The  variations  in  character 
of  these  are  not  owing  entirely,  or  even  chiefly, 
to  their  relative  ages,  but  also  to  the  conditions 
to  which  they  have  been  subjected,  especially 
in  respect  to  heat.  This  metamorphic  agency 
has  acted  not  only  in  the  body  of  the  Cascade 
Mountains,  but  all  through  the  coal-fields, 
where  faults,  flexures,  and  intrusive  rocks  have 
occasioned  changes  in  the  original  condition  of 


I06  WASHINGTON    TERRITORY. 

the  coal-beds,  giving  results  along  the  whole 
scale  of  metamorphism  from  lignite  to  anthra- 
cite. 
Anai^sesof  \  hcrc  Introducc  (on  the  opposite  page) 
Territory  coals.  ^  ^-^^jg  ^f  analvscs  madc  in  Washington  City 
from  representative  samples  of  Washington 
Territory  coals  and  lignites  selected  by  Mr. 
Bailey  Willis  during  the  examination  which  he 
made  of  this  field  for  the  Census  Bureau,  and 
found  in  Vol.  XV.  of  the  Census  Reports. 

THE    COLLIERIES. 

I  will  now  give  some  account  of  the  principal 
coal  seams  which  have  been  worked  in  Wash- 
ington Territory,  namely,  those  in  the  field 
lying  east  and  southeast  of  Puget  Sound  ;  and 
in  so  doing  I  shall  add  to  my  own  knowledge 
all  information  from  any  reliable  sources.  Un- 
fortunately, the  sources  of  information  are  few. 

In  the  Report  of  Bailey  Willis  to  Professor 
Pumpelly  for  the  Census  Bureau,  we  have  the 
best  account  extant  of  the  Carbon  River  and 
Authorities.  Green  River  basins.  Mr.  Willis  spent  three 
years  in  his  examination,  assisted  by  topograph- 
ical engineers.  He  made  numerous  trial-pits 
and  borings  with  diamond  drill,  and  forwarded 
samples  to  Washington  City  for  analysis.  Mr. 
F.  H.  Whitworth,  of  Seattle,  accompanied  me 


ENTRANCE   TO    CEMAN    COAE  M.NE  ON    THE    E.NE    OF  THE 
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IV J  SUING  TON   TERR  I  TOR  Y. 


The  different 
mines. 


Anthracite, 

cokinK  and  gas 

coals. 


in  my  excursions,  and  prepared  maps  which  are 
filed  herewith.  Mr.  Whitworth  has  probably 
more  practical  knowledge  of  the  Puget  Sound 
coal  basin  than  any  one  else.  A  small  volume 
on  the  Pacific  coal  field  was  prepared  some 
years  ago  by  Mr.  W.  A.  Goodyear.  And 
Governor  Squire's  lucid  and  intelligent  reports 
contain  valuable  information  upon  the  coal,  and 
all  the  other  interests  of  Washington  Territory. 
Governor  Semple  has  also,  in  his  Report  for 
1887,  given  us  the  latest  official  information. 

In  my  brief  sketches,  I  shall  group  the  coal- 
beds  as  follows :  a,  Carbon  River  Group ;  b, 
the  Green  River  Group ;  c,  Cedar  River  Group  ; 
d,  the  Squak,  Raging  River,  and  Snoqualmie 
Groups ;  <?,  the  Yakima  and  Wenatchie  Group  ; 
/,  Bellingham  Bay,  Skagit  River,  etc.  ;  g,  Brit- 
ish Columbia  Group. 

a.  Carboji  River  Group. — These  beds  lie  on 
South  Prairie  Creek  and  Carbon  River,  tribu- 
taries of  the  Puyallup  River.  Anthracite  coal 
in  thin  beds  is  reported  high  up  on  Carbon 
River,  near  the  base  of  Mount  Ranier ;  the  re- 
result  of  metamorphism.  Also  undeveloped 
outcrops  of  soft  coal  at  numerous  points  on  the 
same  river.  There  are,  however,  only  three 
colHeries  at  work  in  this  group.  One  is  called 
the  Carbonado  mines,  which  are  on  the  Carbon 


SOUTH  PRAIRIE 
MINES 


MAP   OF 

WILKESON   COALFIELD 


C-'-? 


J-o,-/t 


Flimin;.  Brr w!.tf r  A  Alley;  N.f. 


WASHINGTON    TERRITORY. 


109 


River.  Three  miles  north,  a  Httle  east,  are  the 
famous  Wilkeson  mines ;  and  two  miles  north- 
west of  Wilkeson,  are  the  South  Prairie  mines, 
on  South  Prairie  Creek.     (See  Map.) 

These  coal-beds  stand  at  high  angles  (fifty 
degrees  and  upwards),  and  dip  in  different  direc- 
tions. At  Carbonado,  there  are  four  seams  in 
pairs,  separated  by  Carbon  River,  two  of  which 
dip  to  the  south,  and  two  to  the  north.  At 
the  South  Prairie  mines  there  are  two  seams, 
one  of  which  dips  to  the  east,  and  the  other  to 
the  west.  At  Wilkeson  there  are  three  seams, 
all  of  which  dip  to  the  west.  Mr.  Willis  inter- 
prets this  coal-field  as  being  a  dome-like  anti- 
clinal, with  compressed  and  crumpled  sides, 
whose  major  axis  runs  nearly  north  and  south. 
The  Wilkeson  and  South  Prairie  mines  are  on 
the  line  of  the  major  axis,  whilst  the  Carbonado 
mines  are  in  a  group  of  subordinate  short  folds 
lying  south  of  the  main  line.  The  anticline 
extends  to  Nisqually  River,  and  shows  two 
other  coal  areas  south  of  Carbon  River,  the  coal 
of  which  is  said  to  resemble  the  Wilkeson  coal. 

The  Carbon  River  coal-field  first  having  been 
almost  engulphed  by  volcanic  uplifts  and  over- 
flows, and  almost  buried  by  glacial  drift,  is  now 
visible  only  in  narrow  strips  along  creeks,  and  at 
intervals  along  the  Carbon  River. 


I  I O  Jf^^  SHING  TON    TERRITOR  Y. 

Owing  probably  to  the  heating  of  its  beds, 
we  find  in  this  little  field  the  coal  which  stands 
highest  in  reputation  for  coking  and  heating 
qualities.  There  are  some  differences  in  the 
coal  at  the  three  mines.  That  at  South  Prairie 
was  sold  chiefly  for  making  gas.  The  best  of  the 
Wilkeson  coal  is  made  into  coke,  and  is  in  de- 
mand beyond  the  supply.  The  price  is  $7.00  a 
ton  at  the  ovens.  The  entire  product  of  the 
Carbonado  mines  is  said  to  go  to  the  Central 
Pacific  Railway.  It  is  impossible  to  say  what 
may  be  under  the  Drift ;  but,  to  all  appearance, 
the  amount  of  coal  here  is  not  large,  and  the 
beds  are  sadly  faulted,  and  pitch  deep  into  the 
ground. 

b.  The  Green  River  Group.  —  I  include  in 
this  group  the  Black  Diamond  and  Franklin 
coUieries,  the  Kirke  or  Moss  Bay  Company 
mines,  and  the  Sugar  Loaf  Mountain  beds. 
This,  as  well  as  the  Carbon  River  field,  is 
nearly  equidistant  from  Tacoma  and  Seattle, 
being  about  thirty  miles  in  a  right  line  from 
each  place.  The  Carbon  River  basin  is  geo- 
logically associated  with  Mount  Ranier ;  the 
Green  River  basin  with  the  outliers  or  foot 
ridges  of  the  Cascade  Mountains.  The  latter 
are  much  more  approachable  than  the  former. 
At  the  east  edge  of   this   field,  the    Northern 


tant  between 
Tacoraa  and  Se- 
attle. 


WA  SHING  TON    TERR  I  TOR  Y.  \\\ 

Pacific  Railroad  emerges  from  the  Cascade 
Mountains,  having  come  down  the  canon  of 
Green  River.  This  point  is  known  as  "The 
Common  Point,"  because  the  cities  of  Tacoma    jhe common 

Point,  equidis- 

and  Seattle  are  about  equally  distant,  and  the 
routes  afford  equally  good  grades  from  this  point. 
The  narrow  gauge  road  from  Seattle  now 
comes  to  the  Franklin  mines,  and  by  continuing 
it  a  few  miles  to  connect  with  the  Northern 
Pacific  there  would  be  railroad  connection  to 
Seattle  as  well  as  to  Tacoma.  The  river  here 
cuts  through  the  Coal  Measures,  leaving  the  less 
valuable  part  of  the  field  on  the  south  side. 
The  area  of  this  field  is  roughly  estimated  at  fifty 
square  miles.  It  contains  all,  or  nearly  all,  the 
grades  of  coal  from  lignite  to  bituminous ;  the 
variety  of  coal  depending  upon  the  degree  of 
local  disturbance.  As  a  rule,  so  long  as  the 
coal  is  not  crushed,  the  more  pitched  and  flexed 
the  rocks,  the  better  the  coal ;  which  fact  in- 
demnifies the  miner  for  extra  expense  in  min- 
ing. Here,  the  tendency  is  for  the  seams  to 
become  steeper  and  more  broken  from  west  to 
east ;  i.  c,  as  they  approach  the  foot-hills  of  the 
Cascade  Mountains.  The  strata  in  Lizard 
Mountain  on  the  south  side,  however,  form  an 
exception.  Here  the  strata  are  nearly  hori- 
zontal. 


112  WASHINGTON   TERRITORY. 

Franklin  and         Thc  Fianklin  mines  are  on  the  north  bank 

Black    Diamond 

mines.  ^f  Grcett  River  and  at  the  south  edge  of  what 
has  been  known  as  the  McKay  basin,  and  the 
Black  Diamond  mines  are  on,  or  near,  the 
north  edge  of  the  same  small,  oval  synclinal 
basin.  From  this  basin  the  dips  become  steep- 
er toward  the  momitain,  where  Kirke's  beds 
stand  at  a  high  angle.  On  the  west  edge  of  the 
Green  River  basin,  say  a  mile  west  of  Franklin, 
there  is  an  outcrop  of  lignite.  The  coal  of  the 
Franklin  and  Black  Diamond  mines  is  bitumi- 
nous lignite.  The  Kirke  coal,  or  at  least  part  of 
it,  as  judged  by  the  eye,  may  be  called  bitumi- 
nous coal,  though  not  so  much  deoxidized  as 
the  Wilkeson.  The  coals  mined  in  this  basin 
are  firm,  black  and  shiny  ;  they  burn  freely,  and 
make  but  little  dust.  They  have  not,  however, 
so  far  as  tested,  the  heating  power  or  coking 
qualities  of  the  Wilkeson  coal.  Two  seams 
are  worked  at  Franklin,  and  three  at  Black 
Diamond.  All  of  the  seams  worked  are  above 
four  feet.  A  number  of  volcanic  dikes  and 
flows  are  found  in  and  around  this  basin. 
The  Kirke  or        Thc    Klrkc   Or   Moss    Bay  Company  mines 

Moss  Bay  Com-  .  r     t^  i    i  •  •    i   • 

pariy(Eng-     arc  SIX   milcs  east  of   Franklm,  and  withm  a 

hsh)    mmes. 

mile  of  Green  River.  They  lie  against  the 
mountain.  The  strike  of  the  mountain  is  north- 
west.    The  coal  beds  dip  toward  the  mountain 


WASHINGTON    TERRITORY.  II3 

at  a  high  angle.  There  are  five  seams  of  from 
five  to  fifteen  feet  in  thickness ;  one  of  them 
(No.  2)  may  be  said  to  be  over  forty-seven  feet 
in  thickness,  though  not  all  good  coal,  as  the 
details  given  below  will  show.  The  top  of  the 
outcrops  above  sea-level  are  as  follows : 

FEET. 

No.  I 970 

No.  2          ......  1,160 

No.  3 1,350 

No.  4          ......  1,461 

No.  5 1,513 

Some  places  on  the  outcrop  rise  much  higher. 
The  base  of  the  mountain  is  about  five  hundred 
feet  above  sea-level.  No  shipping  has  been 
done  from  here.  A  gang  of  miners  was  at 
work  opening  the  beds,  with  the  special  view 
of  testing  their  coking  qualities  in  order  to  be 
used,  if  practicable,  by  the  Moss  Bay  Company 
for  smelting  the  steel  ores  of  the  Cascade 
Mountains. 

The  only  seam  well  opened  when  I  was  there 
(Nov.  17th  and  i8th)  was  No.  3,  which  is  a 
large  bed  and  shows  an  excellent  quality  of 
bituminous  coal.  The  bed  shows  the  side  and 
end  (or  "tooth")  structure.  The  coal  is  very 
black  and  moderately  lustrous,  and  breaks 
readily  into  small  rectangles  of  less  than  an 
inch.     Its  coking  qualities  have  not  been  tested. 


114  WA  SHING  TON    TERR  I  TOR  V. 

Nos.  4  and  5  are  said  to  be  softer  and  more 
powdery,  and  may  possibly  be  better  for  coke 
than  No.  3.  They  have  an  available  thick- 
ness of  about  ten  feet  each.  The  details  of 
No.  3  are  as  follows  : 

Roof,  Black  Shale.  ft.      ins. 

Coal  ......09 

Bone 16 

Coal 07 

Hard  Slate 20 

Coal 08 

Bone .02 

Coal .05 

Bone    .......01 

Coal  ......         I         2 

Soft  Parting          .....     o  j/2 

Coal  ......10 

Bone  and  Coal     .....07 

Coal  ......10 

Bone    .......01 

Coal 13 

Bone    .......     o  }( 

Coal  ......05 

Bone o  )4 

Coal  ......07 

Bone  and  Coal 18 

Coal o         4}^ 

Bone .01 

Coal  ......07 

Sandstone  bottom.  

Total         .         .         15  ft.  ^  ins. 


PFA  SHTNG  TON    TERRI  TOR  V. 


115 


There  is  a  natural  exposure  of  No.  2,  the 
"  Big  Seam,"  which  I  saw  on  the  mountain-side 
above  the  miners'  camp,  and  took  the  follow- 
inir  details : 


•tr. 


No.  2,  Big  Seam,  descending.  ft.       ins. 

Coal  .......     I         2 

Bone         .         .         .         .         .         .         o         2^ 

Coal  .......05 

Bone         ......04 

Coal  .......     I         4 

Bone         ......         o         i^ 

Coal 10 

Bone         ......         o  j^ 

Coal  .......08 

Bone         .         .         .         .         .         .         o         i^ 

Coal 07 

Bone         ......01 

Nigger-head  and  Coal  ...06 

Bone         ,         .         .         .         .         .         o         1% 


Coal 18 

Bone o  ^ 

Coal 20 

Bone         ......04 

Coal I       10 

Bone         ......01 

Coal 07 

Bone o         i}^ 

Coal 10 

Bone         ......  o  ^ 

Coal 12 

Bone         ......  o         2j4 

Coal 06 


FT. 

INS. 

O 

x/2 

O 

3 

o 

% 

I 

3 

o 

M 

I 

8 

o 

1/2 

o 

6 

o 

4 

.     21 

SM 

5 

6 

I  1 6  WA  SHING  TON    TERR  I  TOR  V. 

Bone  ..... 

Coal      ...... 

Bone 

Coal 

Bone 

Coal 

Shale         ..... 

Coal 

Bone         ..... 
Impure  Bituminous  Matter 
Coal,  clean  and  good 

Total         .         .  47  ft.    6  ins. 

The  Kirke  mines  are  sixteen  miles  from  Salal 
Prairie,  and  two  miles  from  the  Northern  Pacific 
Railroad  at  the  Common  Point.  The  route  has 
been  surveyed  by  the  Northern  Pacific  Railroad. 

Adjoining  the  Kirke,  or  Moss  Bay  Company 
property,  is  a  section  of  coal  land  (No.  34)  on 
Sugar  Loaf  Mountain,  owned  by  parties  in 
Seattle,  who  offer  it  at  $50,000.  There  are  a 
number  of  seams  on  the  property,  but  I  could 
examine  only  one  which  had  been  opened  near 
the  foot  of  the  mountain.  It  is  a  good  seam 
of  bituminous  coal,  of  the  same  character  with 
the  Kirke  coal.     I  took  the  following  details : 

Sandstone  Roof.  ft.      ins. 

Coal 16 

Soft  Shale    ......    o  % 


WASHINGTON    TERRITORY.  117 

FT.  INS. 

Coal 02 

Soft  Clay o  X 

Coal 01 

Soft  Material,  mining  ....12 

Coal o         dYi 

Slate .     o  X 

Coal 10 

Bone o  y^ 

Coal  ,         .         .         .         .       •.         o       10 

Bone o  ^ 

Coal 05 

Bone o  ^ 

Coal  ......07 

Bone    .......01 

Coal o         4)4 

Bone .0         2^ 

Coal  ......         I         4 

Hard  Slate  Floor,  

Total        .         .       8  ft.  5X  ins. 

c.  The  Cedar  River  Group. — This  group 
consists  of  the  Cedar  River  mines,  nineteen 
miles  from  Seattle  by  rail,  the  Renton  and 
Talbot  mines,  ten  miles,  and  the  Newcastle, 
eighteen  miles.  These  coals  are  in  the  same 
river  basin,  and  are  all  high  grade  lignites. 

The  first  shipment    made    from    the    Cedar     cedarRiv* 
River  mines  was  in  July,  1884.     There  are  two 
good  seams  here,  one  of  which  measures  eleven 
feet.     The  outcrop   curves  from  a  south  to  a 
southwest  strike.    The  dip  is  20"  toward  the  east. 


mines. 


I  I  8  IV A  SHING  TON    TERR  I  TOR  Y. 

Talbot  and  Ren-       ^j^g  Talbot   and    Rcntoii    mines,  ten    miles 

ton  mines.  ' 

from  Seattle,  are  on  the  same  seam,  but,  owing 
to  faults  and  other  causes,  they  have  not 
been  worked  of  late.  The  seam  is  seven  to 
nine  feet  of  good  coal,  resembling  the  New- 
castle, but  has  a  bad  roof,  and  soon  reaches 
water.  The  dip  is  to  the  southeast  at  the 
grade  of  io°  to  25°.  The  outcrop  curves  as  at 
Cedar  Mountain.     This  always  bodes  trouble. 

Newcastle  Thc  priucipal  mine  in  this  basin  is  the  New- 

Mine.  ^         ^ 

castle,  from  which  more  coal  by  far  has  been 
mined  than  from  any  other.  Its  present  annual 
output  is  equaled  only  by  the  Carbonado  mines, 
which  are  pressed  to  their  full  capacity  by  the 
Central  Pacific  Railroad.  The  Newcastle  coal 
is  a  high  grade  lignite,  of  firm  texture,  shining 
black  color,  and  angular  fracture.  It  is  not  a 
coking  coal,  but  has  a  wide  and  estabhshed 
reputation  for  grate,  stove,  and  boiler  uses.  It 
is  the  typical  "Seattle"  coal,  and  is  sold  chiefly 
in  Oregon  and  California.  (To-day,  owing  to 
scarcity,  it  would  bring  $25  per  ton  in  Los 
Angeles).  It  has  not  the  heating  power  of  bi- 
tuminous coal,  but  it  is  greatly  superior  to 
many  of  the  lignitic  coals.  Many  difficulties 
have  been  met  with  in  the  mining  at  Newcastle, 
the  most  of  which  seem  to  have  been  owing  to 
the  necessity  for  mining  on  the  down  grade,  or 


WASHINGTON    TERRITORY. 


119 


fall  of  the  coal ;  and  the  mines  being  now  i  ,000 
feet  deep. 

I  was  twice  at  these  mines,  but,  owing  to 
the  just  previous  destruction  of  the  hoisting 
machinery,  I  could  not  make  an  examination. 

An  additional  difficulty  was  that  the  mine 
had  taken  fire. 

The  cost  of  mining  at  Newcastle  has  ranged  cost  of  mining. 
from    85    cents   to    $1.50   per    ton,    averaging 
about  $1.10. 

According  to  Governor  Squire,  in  1884,  the 
beds  mined  at  Newcastle  were,  beginning  at 
the  lowest,  14  feet,  10  feet,  and  5  feet  in  thick- 
ness. The  dip  is  30°  to  40°  northward,  and  the 
trend  north  80°  west.  Governor  Semple  gives 
the  following:  as  the  output  of  the  Newcastle    , 

o  1  Large  produc- 

mines  from  June  30,  1878,  to  June  30,  1887:  ''°°- 


1879 
1880 
1881 
1882 
1883 
1884 
1885 
1886 
1887 


Total 


Average  per  year 


127,381 
128,853 
149,602 
158,340 
218,742 
149,948 
149,050 

85,561 
140,701 

1,308,178 
145,353 


I20  WASIIINGTOISr    TERRITORY. 

"  The  great  falling  off  in  the  output  for  1886 
is  attributable  mainly  to  the  labor  troubles  of 
that  year,  the  mine  being  closed  for  several 
months ;  also  the  abandonment  of  the  workings 
from  the  No.  4  vein." 

The  slope  has  now  been  sunk  to  a  depth 
of  950  feet,  and  the  mine  is  being  operated 
entirely  from  this  level.  When  this  lift  is  fin- 
ished, it  is  thought  that  several  others  of  equal 
depth  can  be  sunk  as  the  basin  is  likely  to  be 
very  deep. 

After  writing  the  foregoing,  I  received  a 
volume  issued  annually  by  the  United  States 
Geological  Survey  on  the  Mineral  Resources  of 
the  United  States  for  1886;  and  on  page  364 
Misrepresema-  J  read  with  surprlsc  the  following  statements 
in  regard  to  the  Newcastle  mines  of  Washing- 
ton Territory:  "Considerable  iron  pyrites  is 
present  in  this  coal,  which  fact,  added  to  the 
chaff-like  character  of  the  coal  for  igniting, 
causes  much  annoyance  and  cost  to  the  mine 
from  fires.  Coal,  or  the  mine  refuse,  piled  in 
large  quantities  quickly  ignites." 

I  knew  when  I  was  in  the. Territory  that  the 
mine  was  on  fire,  as  I  have  heretofore  stated ; 
but  I  heard  no  intimation  of  spontaneous  com- 
bustion. In  fact,  I  was  told  that  it  was  acci- 
dental. 


WASHINGTON    TERRITORY.  121 

I  wrote  at  once  to  Mr.  David  T.  Day,  of  the 
Government  Survey,  who  is  the  present  editor 
of  this  valuable  work,  asking  his  authority  for 
such  statements  concerning  this  mine  as  had 
never,  so  far  as  I  knew,  been  made  before ; 
though  the  mines  have  been  described,  or  men- 
tioned, in  all  the  preceding  volumes  of  the  same 
work,  and  were  mentioned  with  approval  by 
Bailey  Willis,  Goodyear,  and  all  other  writers  on 
the  resources  of  Washington  Territory.  More- 
over, that  I  had  spent  weeks  in  the  neighbor- 
hood of  the  mines,  and  never  heard  anything 
of  iron  pyrites  or  spontaneous  combustion. 

Mr.  Day  replied  that  he  had  no  personal 
knowledge  on  the  subject ;  but  that  those  state- 
ments had  been  furnished  him  by  Mr.  James  F. 
Jones,  who  is  connected  with  some  mining  op- 
perations  along  the  Northern  Pacific  Railway. 

I  wrote  also  to  Mr.  F.  H.  Whitworth,  of 
Seattle,  calling  his  attention  to  the  above  state- 
ments, and  asking  what  was  the  truth  of  the 
matter.  I  received  his  reply  just  in  time  to 
insert  in  this  Report.  I  copy  below  all  that  he 
says  on  the  subject,  which  puts  a  different  face 
on  the  matter. 

"  No,  I  do  not  think  there  is  any  of  any  con- 
sequence of  iron  pyrite  in  the  Newcastle  mines. 
Nor  do  I  consider  that  the  fires  in  the  mine 


122  WASHINGTON    TERRITORY. 

correcnon^by^  Originated  in  the  decomposition  of  the  pyrites. 
The  fire  in  the  mine  originally  started  in  the 
'  gob,'  close  to  the  furnace  used  for  ventilation, 
and  where  the  ashes  of  the  furnace  were  thrown. 
Therefore,  I  have  always  believed  that  the  fire 
was  not  spontaneous  in  its  origin.  The  fire 
originated  in  the  upper  water  level  '  lift'  But 
it  was  led  down  into  the  second  and  third 
'  lifts  '  by  carelessly  breaking  through  the  chain 
pillar,  and  thus  letting  the  fire  down.  Several 
years  before  the  fire  started  in  the  mine,  and 
about  three-quarters  of  a  mile,  or  a  mile,  west  of 
the  point  where  it  started,  by  careless  mining 
and  drawing  of  pillars,  there  was  a  '  squeeze,' 
and  the  mine  heated ;  the  result,  I  think,  of  the 
crush  ;  but  the  mine  did  not  fire.  While  you 
were  out  here  the  mines  were  in  danger  of  fir- 
ing, and  when  the  cause  was  not  the  proximity 
of  the  present  fire — but  that,  too,  I  think,  was 
brought  on  by  reckless  mining.  Running  their 
*  breasts '  75  feet  wide  and  more,  and  leaving  only 
skeleton  pillars,  a  '  squeeze,'  of  course,  resulted, 
and  the  crushing  produced  the  heat,  and  it  did 
finally  fire.  The  crushing  being  so  great  that 
the  top  work  came  down  to  within  five  or  six 
inches  of  the  bottom,  you  see  easily  producing 
crushing  sufficient  to  cause  fire. 

"  But  the  coal  does  fire  outside  spontaneously, 


WASHINGTON    TERRITORY.  123 

or  rather  the  slack  does,  when  it  is  piled  in  con- 
siderable quantities,  and  after  a  year  or  more  of 
exposure.  The  combustion  in  the  slack  piles 
usually  commences  in  the  firing  of  the  shaley 
cap  rock,  which  is  thrown  in  with  the  slack  as 
the  rock  disintegrates,  or  as  that  process  goes  on 
with  the  *  nigger-heads '  thrown  into  the  slack 
pile.  And  yet  I  feel  satisfied  that  the  slack 
piles  fire  when  there  appears  to  be  almost  none 
of  the  rock  or  '  nigger-head '  in  it.  Two  condi- 
tions, I  think,  are  required :  first,  that  the  slack 
particles  be  small,  and  second,  that  large  quanti- 
ties of  water  be  present.  And  I  have  supposed 
the  heat  and  firing  was  caused  by  changing  of 
the  conditions  ;  small  particles  of  slack  by  disin- 
tegration to  much  smaller  particles. 

"And  yet  it  may  be  possible  that  there  may  be 
sulphur  in  the  form  of  pyrite  present  in  sufficient 
quantity  to  do  its  work.  Very  semi-occasion- 
ally,  very  seldom,  I  have  seen  in  the  sulphur 
streaks  some  slight  indications  of  pyrite  ;  but 
generally  the  sulphur  streaks,  or  balls,  seem 
to  be  composed  almost  entirely  of  sand,  with 
very  little  sulphur,  and  some  coaly  matter. 

"  The  coal  never  has  fired  on  shipboard. 

"  I  remember  that,  several  years,  ago  Mr. 
Howard,  of  the  O.  I.  Co.,  had  collected  and 
stored  in  his  yard  in  San  Francisco,  Cal.,in  one 


124  WASHINGTON    TERRITORY. 

pile,  several  thousand  tons  of  Newcastle  coal, 
and  was  carrying  it  for  some  time  in  stock,  and 
that  he  complained  that  his  coal  was  heating, 
and  feared  fire.  Since  then  they  [have  not] 
stowed  in  such  large  piles,  nor  carried  stock  so 
long. 

"  No,  sir ;  the  sulphur  that  we  rooted  [out] 
at  Oilman  was  not  in  form  of  pyrite,  nor  have 
I  seen  any  so  far.  I  do  not  fear  spontaneous 
combustion,  because  in  the  Newcastle,  when 
it  has  occurred,  it  has  resulted  from  careless- 
ness." 

This  statement  from  Mr.  Whitworth  is  cer- 
tainly satisfactory  on  the  main  point,  namely, 
that  there  is  nothing  in  this  suggestion  which 
need  diminish  the  reputation  of  the  Newcastle 
coal  as  a  stocking  and  shipping  coal. 

In  1884,  Mr.  Jones  (the  same  man)  made 
a  special  report  to  Governor  Squire  on  the 
coals  of  Washington  Territory,  in  which  he 
describes  the  Newcastle  coal,  speaking  of  it 
most  highly,  and  saying  nothing  of  spontane- 
ous combustion.  He  uses  the  following  lan- 
guage concerning  the  Newcastle  coal:  "The 
coal  is  taken  from  three  beds,  and  is  commer- 
cially known  as  the  '  Seattle  lignite,'  having  a 
bright  lustre  and  good  fracture.  It  is  a  good 
and  choice  fuel  for  steam  generating  and   for 


WASHINGTON    TERRITORY.  125 

domestic  use.     The  condition  of  the  coal  adds 
much  to  its  value." 

d.  The  Sqitak  Creek,  Raging  River,  and 
Snoqualmie  Group. — These  are  not  all  in  the 
same  hydrographic  basin,  but  they  are  con- 
sidered together  because  they  are  the  coals 
which  will  be  reached  by  the  Seattle,  Lake 
Shore  and  Eastern  Railroad.  A  great  out- 
crop of  coal  seams  occurs  in  the  valley  of 
Squak  Creek  in  the  mountain  spur  which  lies 
between  Squak  and  the  Newcastle  mines. 
These   seams    are    now   being   opened    by  the 

11  Gilraan  Mines. 

Seattle  Coal  and  Iron  Company,  and  are  known 
as  "The  Oilman  Mines." 

The  geological  structure  of  the  Squak  Moun-  structure  of 
tain  and  its  coal  seams  is  peculiar.  With  all  '^"^'' 
their  local  irregularities,  the  general  trend  of  the 
coal-bearing  rocks  in  Washington  Territory  is 
north  and  south  ;  so  determined  by  the  line  of 
the  Cascade  Mountains,  which  is  the  main  axis 
of  elevation,  with  numerous  subordinate  and 
parallel  axes.  But  on  Squak  Mountain  we  find 
the  whole  group  of  rocks  and  coal  seams  whirled 
at  right  angles  to  the  general  line.  In  other 
words,  their  general  direction  is  east  and  west, 
instead  of  north  and  south,  and  the  rocks  lie  in 
regular  order  against  their  central  axis,  dipping 
northward  at  a  high  angle,  and  showing  no  fault, 


126  WASHINGTON    TERRITORY. 

SO  far  as  I  know,  except,  possibly,  a  vertical 
fracture  somewhere  in  the  mountain,  as  sug- 
gested by  a  change  of  38°  in  the  strike  at  a 
point  about  one  mile  west  of  the  outcrop  on 
Squak.  If  the  fracture  exists,  it  does  not  follow 
that  there  is  any  serious  dislocation.  These 
coal  seams  are  thus  carried  almost  squarely 
across  the  spur  from  Squak  Creek  to  Coal 
Creek,  or  from  the  Oilman  Mines  to  the  New- 
castle Mines. 

The  simple  explanation  is,  that,  in  the  up- 
heaval of  the  country,  the  Squak  Mountain  was 
made  by  a  cross  axis  of  elevation  which  runs 
east  and  west,  or  at  right  angles  with  the  Cas- 
cade Mountains.  Its  metamorphic  core  shows 
itself  along  the  crest  of  the  mountain. 

The  part  of  the  mountain  which  holds  the 
coal  seams  is  a  high  spur  which  puts  off  at  right 
angles  northward  from  the  crest  or  backbone, 
and  continues  to  Lake  Washington,  a  distance 
of  five  miles.  At  the  point  where  the  spur 
leaves  the  backbone,  it  may  be  1,000  or  1,200 
feet  high,  and  it  declines  gradually  to  the  lake, 
and  then  makes  a  bluff  shore-line.  On  the  east 
side  of  the  spur  on  Squak  Creek  it  is  steep, 
whilst  on  the  west  side,  next  Newcastle,  it  drops 
off  more  gradually.  This  difference  of  grade 
occasions  a  great  difference  in  the  economy  of 


WASHINGTON    TERRITORY.  127 

mining  on  the  two  sides.    On  the  east,  or  Squak  p«uiiar  advan. 

°  ^  '  T  tages  for 

Creek  side,  the  ends  of  the  seams  are  boldly  pre-  «>»n»"KyPj>^ssed 
sented,  showing  in  diagonal  parallel  lines  extend-  ^"'"*°  '^'°*'' 
ing  from  the  top  of  the  spur  to  the  creek  level, 
an  average  exposure  of,  say,  900  feet  in  eleva- 
tion. Here  the  entries  are  being  driven  in  hori- 
zontally near  the  water  level,  and  the  future 
progress  of  the  mining  will  be  inward  and  up- 
ward instead  of  downward  and  sidewise,  as  at 
Newcastle.  The  entries  will  all  be  on  the  hori- 
zontal line  crossing  the  seams.  The  extreme  dis- 
tance, 1,300  feet.  The  length  of  the  seams  on 
the  company's  land  is  about  two  miles.  Depth 
below  water  level,  indefinite. 

No  shipments  have  yet  been  made  from 
Squak  Creek,  Raging  River,  or  Snoqualmie 
Mountain,  but  active  developing  work  has 
been  in  progress  since  September  last  at  the 
Oilman  Mines  (forty  miles  from  Seattle),  and 
shipping  will  begin  shortly.  A  switch  of  only 
600  yards  in  length  is  required  from  the  main 
line  of  railway  to  reach  the  outcrop  of  the 
coal,  and  there  is  every  natural  advantage  for 
mining. 

The  Seattle  Coal  and  Iron  Company  own  this  seattiecoaund 

*  -'  Iron  Company. 

property,  which  consists  of  1,300  acres  under- 
laid by  seven  coal  seams,  five  of  which  will  be 
mined  ultimately,  three  in   the  beginning.      I 


128 


WASHINGTON    TERRITORY. 


Seven  seams,     was   ablc  to   cxaminc   three   seams  which  will 
be    mined    at    first,    and    give    the    following 
Details.       details. 

Top  Seam,  No.  4,  descending  : 


Roof,  rich  Bituminous  Black  Slate, 

containing  streaks  of — 

FT. 

INS. 

Coal 

.       2 

3 

Bone 

0 

1/2 

Coal 

.       0 

7 

Slate,  variable       .... 

0 

oY-z 

Coal 

.       0 

II 

Clay 

0 

0V2 

Coal 

2 

0 

Clay,  variable        .... 

0 

iM 

Coal 

I 

I 

Clay,  mining         .... 

0 

3 

Coal 

Total,  good  . 

I 

I 

6  ft. 

3K   ins 

Good  coal. 

Another  good 
coal  seam. 


This  is  a  good  seam  of  coal,  five  feet  six 
inches  of  which  can  be  depended  on  for  ship- 
ping. The  coal  is  dull-black  in  color,  and  easily 
mined.  The  bottom  is  soft  sandstone.  Over- 
lying the  roof-slate,  is  sandstone.  The  seam 
here  is  said  to  be  one  foot  thicker  than  it  is  at 
Newcastle. 

Seam  No.  2  has  been  uncovered  by  the  dig- 
gings on  the  railroad,  and  happens  to  be  at  an 


w    t- 


r    > 
w    7-, 


> 
o 

w 
> 

H 


JVA  SHING  TON    TERRITOR  Y. 


129 


unfortunate  place  for  showing  the  coal.  A 
stump,  partly  silicitied,  with  part  of  its  bark 
lignified,  had  been  taken  out  of  the  coal  bed, 
and  on  each  side  of  it  was  a  tapering  band  of 
"  Nigger-head,"  tapering  from  eight  inches  at 
the  stump  to  nothing  at  the  distance  of  five  feet 
six  inches  from  the  stump.  Selecting  an  aver- 
age place,  I  got  the  following  section,  descend- 
ing: 


Good  roof  of  Argilaceous  Sandstone,    ft. 
Bone         .         .         .         .         .         .0 

Coal o 

Nigger-head,  local    . 

Coal     ..... 

Coal,  sulphurous 

Coal      ..... 

Bone         ..... 

Coal 

Black  slate  floor.  

Total  .         .         .          6  ft.   ^Yz  ins. 


INS. 

I 
6 

5 
10 

3 
3 

oYz 
o 


Judging  from  this  outcrop,  which  I  suspect 
does  not  do  full  justice  to  the  bed,  at  least  six 
feet  of  merchantable  lignitic  coal  may  be  de- 
pended on  from  this  seam. 

Andrew's  bed  could  only  be  seen  at  a  point    And  another. 
200  feet  above  the  railroad.     It  is  nearest  to 
the   metamorphic  axis   of   the    mountain,  and 
hence  is  the  bottom  seam  in  the  group.     It  is 


130  WASHINGTON    TERRITORY. 


said  to  be  wanting  at  Newcastle 

The  coal  is 

in  two  benches,  descending  : 

UPPER    BENCH. 

Slate  roof : 

FT. 

INS. 

Coal 

0 

5 

Bone 

0 

oA 

Coal 

0 

4 

Bone 

0 

3 

Coal 

I 

8 

Pyrite        ..... 

0 

1/2 

Coal 

I 

2 

Slate          ..... 

0 

5 

Coal 

4 

4 

Total     .... 

8 

ft.   8 A  ins. 

LOWER     BENCH. 

FT.          INS. 

Fire-clay 

0           6 

Coal 

I                4 

Clay 

. 

0                I 

Coal 

0               4 

Clay          ..... 

0          o>4 

Coal 

I          I 

Bone 

0         I 

Coal 

I          9 

Total        .... 

, 

4  ft.   8>^  ins. 

The  lower  bench  would  probably  be  neglected 
for  the  present,  but  the  upper  bench  is  worthy 
of   immediate  development.      The   coal    is   of 


WASHINGTON   TERRITORY. 


131 


good  quality.  Perhaps  on  analysis  it  would  be 
classed  with  bituminous  coals,  although  the 
woody  structure  is  discernible  in  places.  It 
burns  freely.  The  outcrop  of  this  bed  is  vis- 
ible lower  down  the  creek  in  a  crushed  con- 
dition. 

My  visit  was  rather  premature  for  a  proper  ^^aluabie'l^^oai"^ 
study  of  the  group  ;  but  there  can  be  no  doubt 
that  there  is  here  a  large  body  of  valuable  coal. 
The  quantity  is  estimated  by  the  mining  engi- 
neer, Mr.  Whitworth,  at  10,500,000  tons.  I 
saw  no  other  coal  beds  in  the  territory  so  favor- 
ably situated  for  mining  and  loading.  Of  course, 
coal  standing  at  an  angle  of  forty  degrees  can- 
not be  mined  so  cheaply  as  if  it  were  horizontal ; 
but  all  the  mines  in  Washington  Territory  must 
contend  with  this  disadvantage,  and  in  all  cases 
coming  under  my  observation,  except  this  one, 
the  mining  had  to  be  done  on  the  down  grade, 
which  involved  much  hoisting,  pumping,  bad 
air,  etc.,  which  can  be  avoided  at  the  Oilman 
Mines. 

An  incidental  advantage,  also,  is  that  the 
Squak  Valley  furnishes  any  amount  of  timber 
for  building,  propping,  railroad  ties,  etc.,  and 
when  more  generally  cultivated,  a  superabun- 
dance of  agricultural  products.  The  experience 
of    Newcastle,   and   the   rapid   growth    of   the 


132 


IV A  SHING  TON    TERRITOR  Y. 


Washington 
Mines. 


Raging  River 
coals. 


market,  indicate  that  these  mines  may  be  en- 
larged in  their  operations,  ahiiost  without  limit. 

Washington  Mines,  on  one  of  the  upper 
branches  of  Squak  Creek,  show  the  outcroppings 
of  three  seams  of  lignite  coal,  dipping  S.  of  W. 
I  did  not  visit  this  place,  but  w^as  informed  that  a 
company,  known  as  the  Washington  Coal  Com- 
pany, was  engaged  in  cutting  these  seams  ;  but 
I  am  not  informed  as  to  what  are  their  pros- 
pects. 

The  Raging  River  coals.  Six  miles  east  of 
Gilman  Mines,  where  the  railroad  enters  the 
Raging  River  Valley,  is  found  another  group  of 
coal  seams,  older  than  the  Squak  coals,  and  per- 
haps corresponding  in  age  with  the  Franklin  and 
Black  Diamond  coals,  though  apparently  more 
bituminous  than  they.  Raging  River  is  about 
twelve  miles  long,  and  the  railroad  first  ap- 
proaches it  about  midway  its  length.  There 
are  indications  of  local  metamorphism,  if  not 
intrusion,  visible  in  the  rocks  between  Squak 
Creek  and  Raging  River,  and  this  is  further 
indicated  by  an  outcrop  of  anthracite  at  the 
north  end  of  the  coal  seams,  within  a  mile  of 
the  road.  Mr.  Whitworth  represents  this  an- 
thracite seam  as  five  feet  thick,  but  crushed 
and  fragile.  Its  structure  is  laminated,  and  it 
breaks  into  small  cubes.     He  spoke,  also,  of 


WASHINGTON   TERRITORY.  133 

another  seam  of  anthracite  high  up  on  Raging 
River,  three  feet  thick,  with  three  inches  slate 
six  inches  from  the  top.  He  mined  in  on  this 
for  thirty  feet  without  observing  any  change. 
The  outcrop  of  this  group  of  coal  seams  extends 
from  near  the  line  of  the  railroad,  up  the  west 
side  of  the  valley,  parallel  with  the  river,  and 
about  a  mile  from  it,  and  lying  in  high  hills. 
This  coal  property  is  also  owned  by  the  Seattle 
Coal  and  Iron  Company.  The  principal  min- 
ing camp  is  near  the  head  of  the  valley,  ten 
miles  above  Falls  City,  six  miles  above  the  line 
of  railway.  Here  I  saw  the  coal  seams,  which 
had  been  uncovered  without  having  been  cut 
into  sufficiently  to  determine  fully  their  charac- 
ter. One  seam  is  open  in  a  ravine,  half  way  up 
the  mountain,  but  most  of  them  near  the  top, 
at  an  elevation  of  about  800  feet  above  the 
river.  There  are  at  least  six  seams,  and  if  the 
one  on  the  mountain  side  be  a  different  seam, 
there  are  seven.  The  coal  generally  is  of  good 
quality  :  bituminous,  with  cubical  fracture  ;  but 
its  value  is  greatly  diminished  by  numerous 
slate  partings,  and  some  of  the  seams  are 
too  thin  for  profitable  mining.  The  dip  is  to 
the  southwest  at  high  angles :  about  eighty 
degrees  on  the  mountain  side — less  in  the  top 
seams. 


134 


WASHINGTON    TERRITORY. 


The  seam  on  the  mountain  side  showed  a 
total  thickness  of  seven  feet  with  sandstone  over 
and  under ;  but  of  this  there  was  only  about  2 
feet  8  inches  of  good  coal  in  a  body,  and  the 
rest  coal  and  slate  interleaved.  Near  the  top 
of  the  mountain  there  are  six  seams  open  near 
a  rivulet,  and  quite  near  together.  Reaching 
the  top  of  the  mountain,  I  found  the  upper 
opening  (geologically  the  under  opening),  No. 
I,  to  contain  about  two  feet  of  good  black 
coal,  with  one  slate  parting  of  an  inch  thick. 

No.  2.  This  seam  shows  a  total  thickness  of 
eight  feet,  but  it  contains  so  many  slate  partings 
that  I  could  not  estimate  the  bed  highly. 

No.  3.  Here  I  saw  fifteen  inches  of  coal,  with 
slate  partings. 

No.  4.  An  irregular  bed,  four  to  seven  feet 
in  thickness,  crushed,  and  probably  dislocated, 
and  so  slaty  as  to  be  of  doubtful  value. 

No.  5.  Another  crushed  and  irregular  ex- 
posure, four  to  six  feet  thick.  The  coal  looks 
better,  and  promises  to  be  a  good  seam  when 
found  in  its  natural  state. 

No.  6.  A  two-foot  seam  resembling  No.  i. 

Mr.  Whitworth  furnished  me  the  following 
details  of  an  opening  near  the  camp  on  Raging 
River,  which  was  not  in  a  condition  to  be  seen 
during  my  visit,  but  which  has  since  been  gone 


IFJ  SUING  TON    TERR  I  TOR  V. 


135 


in  upon  for  about  fifteen  feet.      From  bed-rock, 
ascending  : 

Clay 

Coal,  crushed     .... 

Black  bone     ..... 

Coal,  crushed     .... 

Black  bone     ..... 

Coal,  hard  .... 

Sand  rock       ..... 

Coal,  good  .... 

Bone      ...... 

Coal,  good  .... 

Bone      ...... 

Coal,  good  .... 

Bone      ...... 

Coal,  crushed     .... 

Clay  and  rock  (diminishing) 
Coal,  crushed     .... 

Strike,  north,  76)^°  east. 
Dip  22°  to  south. 

Mr.  Whitvvorth  says  that  tlie  coal  improved 
as  he  went  in,  and  he  is  quite  hopeful  about  this 
seam.  But  his  record  reads  to  me  like  the  de- 
scription of  a  slide ;  still  it  may  not  be  so. 

The  show  upon  the  whole,  as  seen  by  me, 
was  not  satisfactory — and  yet  the  beds  might 
possibly  improve  inward ;  and  if  the  coal  should 
coke  well,  it  might  pay  to  wash  it ;  as  could 
easily  be  done  at  Raging  River. 

The  Snoqualmie  Coal  Group  outcrops  some 


FT. 

INS. 

0 

2 

0 

5 

0 

I 

0 

11 

0 

I 

0 

6 

0 

3 

0 

10 

0 

2 

0 

6 

0 

i> 

0 

6 

0 

I 

0 

36 

4 

6 

3 

0 

136 


WA  SHING  TON    TERRI  TOR  Y. 


Snoqualmie 

Mountain  Coal 

Group. 


Details. 


Good  coking 
coal. 


hundreds  of  feet  up  the  west  side  of  Snoquahnie 
Mountain,  and  about  three  miles  southwest  of 
Hop  Ranch.  The  outcrop  has  been  traced 
perhaps  one  mile.  There  are  five  seams  here 
runninof  north  and  south  with  the  strike  of  the 
mountain  rocks.  The  seams  dip  w^est  at  an 
angle  of  45°,  i.  e.,  away  from  the  axis  of  the 
mountain. 

Seam  No.  3  is  the  third  seam  from  the  bot- 
tom. A  side  entry  had  been  driven  in  on  the 
coal  for  60  feet,  but  water  now  barred  the  en- 
trance and  prevented  a  thorough  scrutiny  of  the 
seam.  Its  thickness  was  about  3  feet  6  inches, 
of  which  there  was  a  band  of  lignitic  coal  of 
three-quarters  of  an  inch  near  the  top,  and  five 
inches  of  the  same  near  the  bottom.  The  wea- 
thered outcrop  of  this,  as  of  the  coal-beds  of 
Washington  Territory  generally,  had  a  brownish 
hue,  but  the  fresh  surfaces  showed  a  good  black 
bituminous  coal.  It  lies  firm  and  regular  in  its 
bed.  When  dug  and  handled,  it  goes  to  small 
pieces,  and  may  generally  be  crushed  to  powder 
in  the  hand  ;  which,  of  itself,  is  no  bad  sign  of 
a  good  coking  coal. 

Seam  No.  4,  the  second  seam  from  the  bot- 
tom, descending : 

FT.         Ii\S. 

Roof,  Slate 20 

Bone      .......20 


WASHINGTON    TERRITORY.  137 


FT. 

INS. 

Coal 

0 

6 

Fine-grained  Sandstone,  average  . 

2 

2 

Natural  Coke     .... 

0 

6 

Bituminous  Shale  .... 

.  0 

6 

Coal 

4 

2 

Bottom,  Sandstone. 

The  coal  of  this  seam  is  soft,  black  and  lus- 
trous. An  entry  was  driven  in  50  feet,  which 
required  much  propping,  the  roof  being  bad. 
At  the  end  of  this  distance  we  came  squarely 
against  a  wall  of  sandstone,  showing  a  fault. 
At  this  point  six  inches  of  the  top  coal  is  thrown 
up  vertically,  which  showed  that  the  seam  thus 
far  had  dropped,  and  that  the  continuation  was 
to  be  looked  for  at  a  higher  level.  Mining  up- 
ward through  the  soft  material,  the  coal  had 
been  again  struck  at  an  elevation  of  16  feet, 
but  not  the  full  thickness  of  the  seam,  and 
not  in  its  true  position ;  but  after  following  it 
upward  4  feet  more  the  seam  was  found  in  its 
natural  state. 

There  seems  to  be  no  slate  in  th's  seam,  but 
occasionally  there  is  found  in  it  a  ball  of  "  nig- 
ger-head," or  hard  sulphurous  matter,  from  the 
size  of  a  man's  head  down. 

An  experiment  of  coking  this  coal  in  a  small 
pit  at  the  mouth  of  this  bank  was  made  by  Mr. 
Kirke  and  his  coal-bank  manager,  with  as  satis- 


138 


IV A  SHING  TON    TERR  I  TOR  Y. 


I^rge  and  valu- 
able bed. 


factory  results  as  could  be  expected  from  so  im- 
perfect a  trial.  I  found  pieces  of  the  coke  lying 
near,  and  saw  better  samples  which  have  been 
While,  of  course,  the  coke 
thus  made  is  not  the  best  quality,  it  certainly 
promises  well. 

Seam  No.  2,  descending : 
Roof,    fine-grained    Sandstone,     under 


Also  good  cok-  brouo-ht  from  here 

ing  coal.  o 


which  is  seven  inches  Black  Slate. 
Coal       ...... 

Slate  

Coal 

Slate  

Coal       ...... 

Slate  ..... 

Argillaceous  and  Ferruginous  Rock 

Coal 

Bone      ...... 

Coal  (main  bench)  of  good  quality 
Nigger-head        .... 

Coal       ...... 

Slate  

Coal,  good 

Slate  and  Clay    .... 

Lignite  (brown  coal) 

Bituminous  Slate 

Coal       ...... 

Nigger-head       .... 

Clay  and  Bony  Slate 

Coal  ..... 

Nigger-head  .... 

Coal 


KT. 

o 
2 
o 
o 
o 
o 
I 
o 
o 

7 
o 
I 
o 
o 
o 

2 

I 

o 
o 
o 
o 
o 
o 


INS. 

6 
o 

7 
4 
5 
5 
7 
i^ 

5 
o 

2 

o 

^y. 

6 

7 
I 


4>^ 

7 

I 


WASHINGTON    TERRITORY. 


139 


FT.        INS. 

Bituminous  Slate   .         .         .         .         .1         2 

Coal  ......01 

Slate      .         .  .         .         .         .0         7 

Coal  ......07 

Slate  and  Sandstone  bottom.  


Total         .         .         .         23  ft.    i/jin. 

Seam  No.  i  is  only  partially  exposed,  the  Another  good 
workings  having  caved  in  ;  but  enough  of  the 
seam  was  visible  to  show  that  it  was  a  brisfht, 
soft,  friable,  bituminous  coal,  of  good  quality, 
containing  some  slate  and  nigger-head.  Its 
fracture  would  be  called  dicey  by  some  geolo- 
gists, because  it  breaks  readily  into  small  cubes, 
even  smaller  than  dice.  The  seam  is  probably 
about  five  feet  in  thickness. 

This  group  probably  corresponds  geologically  Geological  reia- 
with  the  Kirke  Mines,  on  Green  River ;  but, 
judging  by  the  eye,  it  is  a  more  bituminous 
coal  and  better  suited  to  coking.  The  large 
bed  here  may  correspond  with  one  of  the  large 
beds  at  the  Kirke  Mines. 

I  fear  that  faults  are  numerous  in  the  coal 
rocks  of  this  group,  which,  of  course,  would  add 
to  the  expense  of  mining.  But  if,  as  expected, 
it  furnishes  a  good  smelting  coke,  the  field  will 
be  extremely  valuable  from  its  contiguity  to  the 
magnetic  ores  of  the  Cascade  Mountains  and 
the  scarcity  of  coking  coals. 


This  the  bottom 
group. 


140  WASHINGTON    TERRITORY. 

This  property  was  for  sale  when  I  visited  it, 
and  would  have  been  sold  but  for  a  claim  of 
ownership  set  up  by  the  Northern  Pacific  Rail- 
road, which,  however,  in  the  opinion  of  good 
lawyers,  had  no  foundation. 

This  is  the  bottom  group  of  the  Washington 
Territory  coal  field.  It  will  be  seen  that,  taking 
the  Oilman  group,  the  Raging  River  group,  and 
the  Snoqualmie  group  on  one  line,  and  the 
Cedar  River,  Carbon  River,  and  Green  River 
group  on  another  line,  it  may  be  fairly  claimed 
that  there  are  at  least  fifteen  working  seams  of 
three  feet  and  upward  in  the  Washington  Ter- 
ritory coal  field. 

e.  The  Yakima  and  Wenatchie  Group.  This 
field  lies  on  the  east  flank  of  the  Cascade  Moun- 
tains, on  the  waters  of  the  Yakima  and  its  tribu- 
taries, Cle-ellum  and  Teanaway.  It  is  believed 
to  extend  also  into  the  Wenatchie  Valley,  al- 
though the  area  here  is  probably  disconnected 
from  the  Yakima  area.  I  purposely  refrained 
from  visiting  this  region,  and  for  my  statements 
I  am  indebted  chiefly  to  Bailey  Willis,  F.  H. 
Whitworth,  Charles  Burch,  and  Mr.  Jamieson 
of  the  Kirke  Mines. 
Yakima  or  Kos-       Xhc  Yakima  area  lies  north  of  the  Yakima 

lyn  coal  iield. 

River,  near  to  the  Northern  Pacific  Railroad, 
and  to  the  projected  line  of  the  Seattle,  Lake 


WA  SHING  TON    TERR  I  TOR  V. 


141 


Shore  and  Eastern  Railway,  and  extends  about 
sixty  miles  east  and  west,  and  six  miles  north  and 
south.  Its  dip  is  gentle,  say  twelve  to  twenty 
degrees.  It  holds  three  coal  seams  of  2  feet 
6  inches,  and  5  feet  and  5  feet  respectively. 
There  is  not  much  evidence  of  fracture  in  any 
part  of  the  field.  The  total  thickness  of  the 
coal-bearing  rocks  is  estimated  by  Bailey  Willis 
to  be  1,000  feet.  This  is  evidently  the  lower 
part  of  the  coal  series,  the  upper  part  having 
been  carried  away.  The  best  seam  is  mined 
at  Roslyn,  four  miles  north  of  the  Northern  Pa- 
cific Railroad,  in  the  interest  of  that  railroad. 

The  seam  here  furnishes  upward  of  four  feet 
of  good  coal.  The  coal  is  bituminous,  dull 
black,  firm,  and  free  burning.  Mr.  Jamieson 
thinks  it  will  not  make  good  coke.  Others, 
however,  think  that  it  will,  and  these  are 
supported  partially  by  the  laboratory  test  in 
Washington  City,  D.  C.  (See  Table  of  Coal 
Analyses,  page  107.)  It  is  called  in  the  table 
Roslyn  coal. 

This  coal  is  used  chiefly  in  the  locomotives; 
but  the  popular  demand  for  it  is  very  great  in 
the  plateau  country  of  East  Washington. 

I  have  no  knowledo^e  of  the  coal  on  Wen-  coaionthcWen- 

o  atcnie. 

atchie  River  except  what  I  obtained  from  Mr. 
Burch,  who  says  that   there  arc  two  seams  of 


142 


WASHINGTON   TERRITORY. 


Coal  under  the 

Great  Hend 

country. 


The  first  mining 

on  Bellinghara 

Bay. 


Coal  on  Skagit 
River. 


coal  exposed  in  that  valley,  one  of  eight  feet 
and  one  of  three  feet.  The  coal-bearing  rocks 
extend  for  thirty-five  miles  up  the  river,  and 
have  a  width  of  ten  miles. 

The  coal  is  reported  by  Mr.  Burch  to  appear 
cast  of  the  Columbia  River,  opposite  to  the 
fields  just  described,  and  to  disappear  under  the 
basalt.  If  so,  here  is  a  resource  for  the  future. 
Concerning  the  importance  of  this  coal  field  to 
the  Seattle,  Lake  Shore  and  Eastern  Railway, 
I  will  speak  in  another  connection. 

f.  Bellingkam  Bay,  Skagit  River,  and  other 
Coal  Fields.  The  first  shipping  of  coal  from 
Washington  Territory  was  done  from  the  Sea- 
home  Mines,  on  Bellingham  Bay,  Puget  Sound, 
about  twenty-five  miles  south  of  the  Canada 
line.  The  mines  were  very  badly  managed ; 
they  took  fire  on  several  occasions.  The  coal 
was  of  the  lignitic  grade,  but  not  of  the 
best  quality,  and  when  other  mines  of  better 
coal  were  opened  the  Bellingham  Bay  mines 
were  closed.  It  is  reported  that  coking  coal 
has  been  found  some  distance  back  from  the 
bay. 

Coal  has  also  been  found  on  Skagit  River, 
which,  I  suspect,  from  a  sample  which  I  saw 
and  from  what  I  heard  (some  of  it),  is  good, 
and   possibly   might    coke   well.      One   of   the 


WASHINGTON    TERRITORY.  1 43 

coal  properties  is  held  by  A.  Ford  and  others. 
The  following  description  is  furnished  by  Mr. 
Norman  B.  Kelly. 

It  is  found  about  three  miles  north  of  the 
Skagit  River,  and  about  five  miles  from  Sedro. 
The  country  is  hilly.  There  are  at  least  six 
or  eight  coal  seams,  perhaps  more.  Those  ex- 
amined run  from  eighteen  inches  to  thirty 
inches,  and  are  thought  to  be  clean  coal.  The 
seams  lie  between  sandrocks.  The  outcrops 
begin  near  the  level  of  the  valley,  and  continue 
in  a  series  to  an  altitude  of  550  feet  above  the 
valley.  The  highest  outcrops  are  those  of  the 
lowest  seams  geologically.  The  strike  is  north 
sixty  degrees  west.  At  the  foot  of  the  hill,  the 
seams  dip  forty-five  degrees  to  the  southwest, 
but  the  angle  becomes  steeper  on  the  mountain 
side,  until  finally  they  are  vertical.  All  the 
outcrops  are  within  1,500  feet  horizontal  dis- 
tance. Blacksmiths  use  the  coal  and  pronounce 
it  equal  to  Cumberland.  It  cokes  readily 
in  the  open  fire ;  burns  with  a  bright,  hot, 
but  small  flame,  and  seems  to  leave  but  little 
ash. 

Of  course,  the  thinness  of  these  seams  is  an 
objection.  There  is  coal,  also,  upon  the  south 
side  of  the  river ;  but  there  has  been  but  little 
development  in  this  field.     An  analysis  of  this 


144  WASHINGTON    TERRITORY. 

coal  is  given  in  tlie  table  preceding,  but  I 
cannot  say  from  what  seam  the  sample  was 
derived. 

The  following  analysis  of  coal  of  the  Crystal 
Mine,  near  Sterling,  is  said  to  have  been  made 
by  Mr.  Wm.  G.  Tenne,  assayer,  of  Portland, 
Oregon  : 

Coke      .......  71.31 

Combustible  gases      .         .         .         .  23.17 

Ash 5.31 

Moisture .21 

A  very  fine  showing. 
Coal  south  of        It  has  lonor  been  known  that  there  are  con- 

Puget  Sound.  c5 

siderable  areas  of  coal  south  and  southwest  of 
Puget  Sound.  But  they  have  not  been  very 
highly  esteemed,  the  coals  being  lignite  of  not 
the  best  quality.  There  are  at  least  two  seams 
of  seven  to  twelve  feet  thickness,  and  they  lie 
at  an  angle  of  five  degrees,  with  good  roof  and 
floor.  Some  effort  is  now  making  on  Skoo- 
kumchuck  and  Chehalis  rivers  to  develop  these 
seams. 

Governor   Semple,   in    his   report  for   1887, 
Total  shipments  glvcs  as  thc  total  shipuicnt  for  the  year  ending 

of  coal 

^t'onVSr"^'  June  30,  1887,  the  amount  525,705  tons.  And 
he  gives  as  the  total  output  of  coal  from  all  the 
Washington  Territory  mines  from  the  beginning 
of  shipments  to  June  30,  1887  : 


WASHINGTON    TERRITORY. 


145 


MINES. 

TONS. 

Newcastle         .... 

•        1.308,178 

Franklin        .... 

46,272 

Black  Diamond 

148,418 

Renton          .         .         .         .         , 

35,015 

Talbot 

10,000 

Cedar  River          .         .         .         , 

64,816 

Carbonado        .... 

402,207 

South  Prairie         .         .         .         , 

139,792 

Wilkeson           .... 

10,372 

Bucoda 

4,550 

Roslyn 

40,987 

Bellingham  Bay  (estimated) 

250,000 

Clallam  Bay      . 

500 

Total     .         .         .  2,461,108 

I  have  now  given  a  sketch  of  all  the  coal 
mines  and  coal  areas  of  Washington  Territory, 
and  will  conclude  with  a  few  words  on  the  coal 
of  Vancouver's  Island. 

Z.   Coal  Seams  in   British    Columbia.     The  coai  on  vancou- 

<=»  ver  s  Island. 

productive  coal  field  is  on  Vancouver's  Island, 
on  the  east  side  of  the  Gulf  of  Georgia.  There 
are  three  mines  in  operation  as  given  below  : 


ANNUAL     OUTPUT. 


Nanaimo  Colliery 
Wellington  Colliery     . 
East  Wellington  Colliery 


SHORT  TONS. 

112,761 

.     185,846 
28,029 


This    coal    is    marketed    chiefly  in    Califor- 
nia.    The   coal    is   lignitic ;   and  yet  it  is  said 


146  WASHINGTON    TERRITORY. 

to  coke  well.  It  is  also  good  stocking  coal. 
The  beds  dip  from  5°  to  30°  southward.  The 
cost  of  transportation  to  San  Francisco  is  about 
the  same  as  from  Seattle,  and  the  cost  of  deliv- 
ering on  board  ship  about  the  same  as  from  the 
Newcastle  mines.  The  tariff  of  75  cents  per 
ton  on  foreign  coal  is  regarded  with  satisfaction 
by  the  coal  men  of  Washington  Territory.  The 
repeal  of  this  tariff  would  inflict  a  heavy  blow 
upon  the  mining  industry  of  the  Territory. 
The  Iron  Ores.  II.  Iron  Ore. — Thc  Irou  orcs  of  Washing- 
ton Territory  consist  of  Bog  ore,  Brown  ore 
(Limonite),  some  Red,  or  Specular  ore  (Hema- 
tite), and  Magnetic  ore  (Magnetite).  The  bog 
ore  has  been  found  in  considerable  quantities 
underlying  the  flats  bordering  Puget  Sound, 
and  has  been  worked  in  a  furnace  on  Belling- 
ham  Bay.  These  ores,  no  doubt,  come  from 
the  decomposition  of  the  limonites,  the  magne- 
tites and  the  basaltic  rocks  of  the  high  lands, 
especially  on  the  Cascade  Mountains,  These 
Bellingham  Bay  ores  generally  have  an  excess 
of  phosphorus,  and  yield  about  42  per  cent,  of 
metallic  iron.  Brown  ore  is  reported  on  the 
Skagit  River,  sufficiently  abundant,  perhaps, 
but  not  containing  more  than  40  per  cent,  me- 
tallic iron.  I  saw  a  remarkable  deposit  of 
brown  ore  on  the  Willamette,  near  Portland, 


WASHINGTON   TERRITORY. 


147 


Oregon.  It  is  a  horizontal  stratum  varying 
from  4  to  20  feet  in  thickness,  lying  between 
masses  of  basalt.  It  has  been  worked  in  the 
Oswego  furnace,  but  yielded  only  about  40  per 
cent,  metallic  iron.  I  did  not  see  any  specular 
ore  in  place  in  Washington  Territory,  but  saw 
samples,  said  to  have  been  brought  from  near 
the  Middle  Fork  of  Snoqualmie  River. 

But  unquestionably  the  most  important,  as  The  great  mag- 
well  as  the  lars^est,  are  the  mao;netic  ore  beds  on  ted^,  of  cascade 

o  ^5  Mountains. 

the  Cascade  Mountains.  These  ores  are  found 
1,000  to  1,500  feet  above  the  chief  water- 
courses on  those  high  ridges  and  peaks  which 
make  up  the  Cascade  Range  along  the  head- 
waters of  the  Snoqualmie,  on  the  west  side  of 
the  mountain,  and  of  the  Yakima  on  the  east 
flank  of  the  mountain.  These  ores  are  under- 
laid by  syenite  and  quartzite,  and  overlaid  by 
limestone.  The  ore  itself  is  found  in  condi- 
tions similar  to  that  of  the  Cranberry  ore  in  the    ResemWesthe 

J  Cranberr>' 

Unaka  Mountains  of  North  Carolina;  that  is,     ^^^^eposks. 
it  lies  in  pockets  of  various  sizes  in  hornblen- 
dic,  porphyritic  and  epidotic  rocks. 

I  visited  two  exposures  of  this  ore,  one  on 
Mount  Logan  and  the  other  on  Mount  Denny. 
These  are  only  a  mile  or  two  from  the  line  of 
the  railroad.  On  Mount  Logan  there  was 
only  one  large  outcrop  of  iron-bearing  rocks, 


148  WASHINGTON   TERRITORY. 

Mou'Sau"  ^ut  float  was  seen  at  numerous  points  on  the 
mountain.  The  main  exposure  showed  an  ore- 
bearing  rock,  presenting  a  horizontal  front  some 
sixty  feet  in  length,  and  forty  to  fifty  feet  in 
height  or  thickness.  At  one  place  a  considerable 
area  in  this  space  seemed  to  be  pure  ore.  For 
the  rest,  the  pockets  were  smaller,  and,  of  course, 
the  amount  of  rock  proportionally  larger. 
What  is  to  be  found  on  going  in  from  the  sur- 
face can  never  be  told  in  advance  in  ore  beds  of 
this  sort.  In  working  the  great  mine  of  Cran- 
berry, North  Carolina,  the  largest  body  of  ore 
was  reached  100  to  200  feet  from  the  surface. 

This  bed  of  ore  is  known  as  The  Summit,  or 
Guye  Mine.  Its  elevation  is  1,250  feet  above 
the  grade  of  the  Lake  Shore  Railroad,  and 
about  1,000  feet  above  the  small  stream  at  the 
foot  of  the  mountain.  There  would  be  no  diffi- 
culty in  building  an  inchned  plane  from  the  ore 
bank  to  the  small  valley  below.  The  snow  in 
winter  might  interfere  with  mining. 

Ascending  the  mountain  above  the  main  ex- 
posure, I  found  what  seemed  to  be  another  level 
of  iron  ore  100  feet  higher  ;  but  possibly  it  may 
be  the  same  bed  displaced.  Still  higher  appeared 
to  be  a  third  level  of  ore,  and  higher  still,  I 
observed  a  little  float  ore  at  a  point  nearly  2,000 
feet  above  the  grade  of  the  railroad,  on  what 


WA  SHING  TON    TERR  I  TOR  V. 


149 


may  be  called  the  summit  of  Mount  Logan,  at  a 
point  which  my  barometer  made  4,700  feet 
above  Puget  Sound. 

The  Denny  Mine  is  on  a  different  mountain,  Denny  Mine. 
somewhat  farther  to  the  west,  but  about  the 
same  distance  from  the  railroad.  It  is  reached 
also  by  a  narrow  valley  from  which  a  steep 
ascent  of  nearly  1,100  feet  is  made  to  the  main 
exposure,  which  shows  an  edge  of  pure  fine- 
grained magnetite,  about  twenty  feet  thick,  with 
limestone  above,  and  also  beneath,  apparently. 
Fragments  of  epidote,  porphyry  and  flinty 
quartzite  lay  around.  The  limestone  did  not 
show  so  large  here  as  on  Mount  Logan.  The 
ore  dips  steeply  toward  the  south,  and  seemed 
to  encrust  the  mountain  for  a  distance  of,  per- 
haps, 225  feet,  but  with  a  somewhat  broken 
surface.  It  then  passed  with  its  limestone  under 
quartzite  cHffs  which  crest  the  mountain.  The 
bed  might  have  been  followed  around  the 
mountain,  where  it  is  said  to  show  at  a  number 
of  places.  It  seemed  to  pass  into  a  matrix 
of  chert. 

I  did  not  visit  the  Chair  Peak,  or  Kelly  Mine,  *=^^|[/^?|;'e?' 
which  is  some  miles  distant ;  but  I  conversed 
with    probably    every    man   who  ever  saw  it, 
some  half  a  dozen,  including    Mr.  Whitworth, 
who   made   a   survey   of  the    property.     It   is 


150  WASHINGTON   TERRITORY. 

reported  as  probably  the  largest  and  purest  of 
all  the  deposits  of  magnetic  ore,  and  lies  at  about 
the  same  height  on  the  mountains.  This  ore 
would  come  out  by  way  of  the  Middle  Fork  of 
Snoqualmie. 
Middle  Fork         I   did  uot  V  Islt  Guyc's  other  mine,  which  lies 

Mines.  .  -»/r'iiiT-«i 

high,  perhaps  3,000  feet  above  Middle  Fork. 
Mr.  Guye  represents  it  as  similar  in  character  to 
the  bed  elsewhere,  with  the  addition  of  some 
brown  and  red  ore.  The  other  deposits  men- 
tioned I  received  no  description  of. 

None  of  these  mines  have  been  developed 
beyond  the  uncovering  of  a  face.  As  yet  there 
is  no  furnace  for  smelting  them,  and  no  means 
provided  for  bringing  them  off  the  mountains. 
There  is  no  difficulty  about  reaching  them  with 
spur  railroads  and  inclined  planes.  It  has  oc- 
curred to  me  as  possible  that  a  narrow  gauge 
All  easily      railroad  miMit  reach  all  of  these  mines,  without 

reached  from  Se-  *-* 

shore'and^Elst-  h^avy  gradcs,  by  starting  at  the  highest  point  of 

ern  Railway.       ^j^^    ^^^^   gj^^^^   ^^^^     ^^^^   followiug  thC     dividCS 

from  mountain  to  mountain.  This,  however,  can 
only  be  determined  by  a  special  reconnoissance. 
There  are  large  deposits  of  iron  ore  also  on 
the  east  side  of  the  Cascade  Mountains,  not 
far  from  the  crest  line,  on  the  waters  of  the 
^"bed"""^^  Cle-ellum  River.  Three  distinct  beds  are  re- 
ported.    They  are  all  in  the  valley  of  the  Cle- 


I VA  SHING  TON    TERR  I  TOR  Y.  151 

ellum  River.  The  upper  bed  is  situated  about 
eight  miles  above  Cle-ellum  Lake,  on  the  main 
and  east  fork  of  the  Cle-ellum  River.  This  bed 
has  been  described  to  me  by  Mr.  Whitworth  and 
Mr.  Burch.  The  distance  from  the  Northern 
Pacific  Railroad  is  twenty-five  miles,  following 
the  Cle-ellum  valley.  It  is  within  sixteen  miles 
of  the  most  distant  location  made  of  the  Seattle, 
Lake  Shore  and  Eastern  Railway ;  and  by  an- 
other route  which  has  been  spoken  of,  this  rail- 
road would  pass  close  to  the  ore  bed.  Mr.  Whit- 
worth says  concerning  it:  "The  ledge  is  well 
defined,  and  is  traced  and  located  about  two 
miles,  its  course  being  nearly  north  and  south. 
It  is  apparently  from  forty  to  sixty  feet  in 
width,  and  pitches  at  about  an  angle  of  20°  to 
the  west.  The  casing  rock  is  porphyry.  The 
deposit  is  evidently  extensive.  The  ore  appears 
rich,  is  magnetic,  and  is  reported  to  assay  from 
56^  to  66  per  cent.  I  obtained  samples  of 
the  rock,  from  which  satisfactory  tests  can  be, 
no  doubt,  obtained." 

The  elevation  of  the  iron  ore  outcrop  is  esti- 
mated at  3,000  feet,  which  would  place  it  nearly 
on  a  level  with  the  summit  of  Snoqualmie  Pass ; 
but  it  is  only  about  200  feet  above  the  local 
water-level. 

Mr.  Burch  says  concerning  this  ore  bed,  which 


152  WASHINGTON   TERRITORY. 

has  now  been  bought  by  Mr.  Kirke  for  the  Moss 
Bay  Company,  that  the  strike  of  the  bed  is  north- 
cast,  whilst  the  outcrop  runs  northwest.  The  ore 
is  in  live  or  more  separate  beds,  each  bed  being 
on  an  average  forty  to  fifty  feet  thick,  and  the 
beds  separated  by  rock.  The  ore  can  be  fol- 
lowed but  a  short  distance  along  the  strike. 
Burch'sorebed.  Burch's  iron  ore  bed  approaches  the  Cle- 
cllum  River  about  four  miles  below  the  Kirke 
bed,  and  extends  in  a  northeast  direction  to  the 
headwaters  of  Boulder  Creek,  a  distance  of  five 
miles.  The  outcrop  crosses  three  high  ridges. 
The  dip  is  south,  at  an  angle  of  45°.  The 
width  is  at  least  twenty  feet.  A  ferruginous 
limestone  lies  against  the  ore  on  the  south 
side.  The  limestone  is  300  or  400  feet  thick. 
It  seems  to  overlie  the  iron  bed.  Its  outside 
or  top  layers  are  pure  blue  limestone. 

A  gray  sandstone,  rather  soft,  overlies  the 
limestone,  and  over  this  comes  a  coal-bearing 
rock  in  which  are  dykes  of  gray  iron  ore,  some 
of  them  standing  out  of  the  ground  80  or 
100  feet.  The  magnetic  iron  ore  is  associated 
with  hornblende  and  quartzite.  All  rocks  dip 
south.  Mr.  Burch  says  that  this  ore  resembles 
the  Kirke  ore,  but  has  some  of  the  character- 
istics of  hematite.  Mr.  Guye  talks  in  the  same 
way  about  his  iron  ore  on  Middle  Fork. 


WASHINGTON   TERRITORY. 


'53 


At  one  point,  not  far  from  Cle-ellum  River, 
a  bed  of  gray  iron  ore  crosses  the  magnetic  ore 
at  right  angles.  This  gray  ore  is  not  well  un- 
derstood. It  may  be  an  altered  copper  lode. 
The  main  ore  bed  is  more  strongly  magnetic 
near  the  intersection  than  it  is  elsewhere. 

I  may  here  remark  that  Mr.  Burch  reports 
considerable  float  of  rich  magnetite  on  the 
shores  of  Lake  Chelan. 

I  have  no  description  of  the  Dudley  iron  ore  Dudley  ore  bed 
bed,  but  it  is  said  to  be  large,  and  of  the  best 
quality.  Its  location  is  also  in  the  Cle-ellum 
valley,  between  Burch's  bed  and  the  lake,  and 
within  four  or  five  miles  of  the  lake.  This  infor- 
mation I  get  through  a  letter  written  from  Cle- 
ellum  to  Mr.  Whitworth.  I  have  no  personal 
knowledge  of  these  Cle-ellum  beds. 

There  can  be  no  doubt  as  to  the  existence  in 
the  Cascade  Mountains  along  this  line  of  supe- 
rior iron  ore  in  large  quantities,  the  most  of 
which  is  suited  to  the  manufacture  of  steel. 

There  can  be  no  doubt  as  to  the  superior 
quality  of  the  Snoqualmie  iron  ores.  Analysis 
shows  that  they  rank  with  the  best  steel  ores  in 
their  large  percentage  of  metallic  iron  and  small 
admixture  of  deleterious  impurities.  Of  the 
following  tables,  the  lirst  gives  all  the  reliable 
analyses  I  could  obtain  of  the  ores  of  the  Sno- 


Undoubtedly 

large   beds    of 

steel  ores. 


Of  superior 
quality. 


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154 


WASHINGTON   TERRITORY. 


155 


qualmie  region  of  the  Cascade  Mountains. 
Those  reported  from  Mr.  Kirke  and  Mr.  Dewey 
are  of  high  authority.  Those  from  Mr.  Jenner 
are  given  in  Governor  Squire's  report  for  1885, 
and  are  probably  equally  reliable. 

By  way  of  comparison,  I  next  introduce  a 
table  of  analyses,  which  begins  with  what  Mr. 
Phineas  Barnes,  in  his  report  on  the  steel  in- 
dustry of  the  United  States  (1885),  gives  as  a 
typical  steel  ore  from  the  best  American  mines.  Proved  by  anaiy- 

-'  ^  SIS  to  be 

The  second  analysis  gives  the  average  of  four-   ""'eq^^d'!'  '^ 

teen  analyses  of  the  best  Lake  Superior  steel 

ores.     The  third  is  a  typical  steel  ore  from  the 

Iron  Mountain  of  Missouri.     The  fourth  is  the 

average  of  all  the  analyses  of  the  magnetic  ores 

of  the  Snoqualmie  Valley,  which  name  I  give  to 

them  to  distinguish  them  from  similar  ores  on 

the  east  side  of  the  Cascade  Mountains,  of  which 

I  have  no  analyses  : 

COMPARATIVE    ANALYSES    OF    STEEL    ORES. 


Typical  Steel  Ore 
Lake  Superior 
Iron  Mountain     . 
Snoqualmie     .     . 


59-245^ 
68.48 
65.500 
68.80^ 


.016 
•023/5 


•03% 

.053 

.040 

.0282/^ 


2.07 

5-750 

2.61U 


156  WASHINGTON   TERRITORY. 

This  showing  places  the  Snoquahnie  ores  in 
the  front  rank  of  American  steel  ores ;  indeed, 
it  shows  a  little  higher  in  metallic  iron,  and  a 
little  lower  in  phosphorus,  than  any  of  the 
others.  These  analyses  are,  of  course,  made 
from  the  ore  proper ;  i.  e.,  without  any  addition 
of  the  matrix,  or  gangue-rock,  in  which  the 
ores  are  imbedded.  With  all  magnetites  of 
this  type  it  is  only  in  exceptional  spots  that 
much  of  the  ore  can  be  gotten,  free  from  the 
enclosing  rock.  Under  ordinary  circumstances 
something  like  20  per  cent,  of  the  ore  sent 
to  the  furnace  will  be  gangue-rock.  There  is 
reason  to  hope,  however,  that  ere  long  there 
will  be  a  practical  method  for  separating  the 
rock  from  the  ore,  and  at  the  same  time  getting 
rid  of  most  of  the  sulphur.  At  Cranberry,  N.  C, 
the  ore  is  now  roasted  and  stamped  into  small 
bits,  and  an  experiment  has  been  made  of  passing 
the  ore  through  a  jigger,  whereby  the  hornblen- 
dic  and  other  enclosing  rocks  were  separated  by 
the  pulsations  of  the  water,  as  in  coal  washing. 
^'°p^°^^_P''°-  The  Lackawanna  Iron  and  Coal  Company, 
Pennsylvania,  has  been  separating  the  ore  from 
the  rock  with  good  results.  The  same  has  been 
done  at  Crown  Point,  N.  Y.,  Lion  Mountain, 
near  Plattsburg,  N.  Y.,  Negaunee,  Mich.,  and 
Beach  Glen,  N.  J. 


WASHINGTON   TERRITORY.  I  57 

The  process  is  really  one  of  concentration,  in 
some  respects  similar  to  that  pursued  with  the 
refractory  ores  of  the  precious  and  base  metals. 
The  ore  is  first  calcined  sufficiently  to  make  it 
friable.  It  is  then  crushed,  by  a  Blake  or  other 
rock-breaker,  and  is  finally  sluiced,  or  jigged,  or 
both.  The  aim  is  to  produce  a  Bessemer  con- 
centrate which  would  yield  60  per  cent,  or 
more  metallic  iron,  and  at  the  same  time  get 
rid  of  whatever  phosphorus  might  be  in  the 
gangue-rock.  In  the  best  experiments  the  ob- 
ject was  more  than  accomplished.  The  con- 
centrate contained  63  per  cent,  of  metallic  iron, 
the  middlings  55  per  cent,  and  the  tailings  16 
per  cent.  This  experiment  was  made  with  a 
refractory  Adirondack  magnetite,  which  was 
so  intermixed  with  hornblende,  quartz,  mica, 
etc.,  that  the  ore  might  be  described  as  a  horn- 
blendic  gneiss,  carrying  a  large  proportion  of 
magnetite.  No  doubt  experience  will  teach 
some  way  of  saving  the  ore  that  is  now  wasted 
in  the  tailings. 

Thus  we  may  hope  to  see  removed  in  a  short 
time  the  only  practical  difficulty  in  working  the 
crystalline  magnetites,  such  as  those  of  Sno- 
qualmic,  and  many  others. 

III.    Granite,  Limestone  and  Marble. —      Granite. 
What  is  here  called  granite  is  really  syenite.     It 


158  WASHINGTON   TERRITORY. 

Is  found  high  on  the  mountains,  associated,  as 
already  intimated,  with  the  magnetic  iron  ore, 
and  with  hard  quartzite,  porphyry,  epidote, 
hornblende,  and  limestone  largely  marbleized. 
This  group  of  rocks  forms  the  core  of  the  Cas- 
cade Mountains,  and  hence  underlies  all  the 
coal-bearing  rocks  to  the  westward.  The  group 
has  been  assigned  by  some  geologists  to  the 
Archaean  age ;  but  it  is  possible  that  they  are 
metamorphosed  strata  of  the  Silurian,  or  some 
subsequent  period.  Some  of  this  syenite  has  a 
large  proportion  of  quartz,  w^hich  gives  it  a 
light  appearance  ;  but  in  other  places  the  horn- 
blende crystals  are  of  good  size  and  in  full  pro- 
portion, and  the  feldspar  is  of  the  orthoclase 
variety,  which  gives  a  mixture  of  three  colors, 
and  makes  fully  as  handsome  a  stone  as  the 
Quincy  granite. 

Limestone  is  reported  as  existing  in  some  of 
the  islands  in  Puget  Sound,  where  it  is  burnt 
into  lime ;  but  I  have  met  with  no  particular 
account  of  it. 
Marble  and  lime-  Thc  limcstonc  aud  marblc  associated  with  the 
iron  ore  on  the  Cascade  Mountains  has  already 
been  alluded  to.  It  is  of  fine  quality,  very 
abundant,  and  easily  quarried.  It  will  have 
great  value  for  flux  and  commercial  lime.  It 
is   also    beautiful    in    color,   varying   from    the 


stone. 


WASHINGTON   TERRITORY. 


159 


purest  white  to  blue,  and  mixtures  of  the  two 
colors.  In  texture  it  is  sometimes  exceedingly 
fine  grained,  and  in  others  crystallized  into  a 
true  and  beautiful  marble,  which,  so  far  as  can 
be  judged  by  eye,  would  be  well  adapted  to 
both  inside  and  outside  finishing  and  statuary. 
On  Mount  Logan  the  limestone  deposit  almost 
covers  the  mountain  above  the  lower  line  of 
the  iron  ore,  and  is  so  exposed  as  to  be  quarried 
with  the  greatest  ease. 

The  same  association  of  limestone  in  heavy 
beds  with  iron  ore  seems  to  exist  also  on  the 
Cle-ellum,  as  mentioned  by  Mr.  Burch.  This 
gentleman  spoke  to  me,  also,  of  a  very  beauti- 
ful and  easily  burned  limestone  in  the  Wen- 
atchie  Valley.  Large  beds  of  limestone  also 
exist  in  connection  with  the  precious  and  base 
metals,  which  are  next  to  be  described.  In  the 
Colville  country  limestone  seems  to  abound. 

IV.  The  Precious  and  Base  Metals. — In 
the  Cascade  Mountains,  and  in  the  mountains 
north  of  the  plateau  country  of  East  Washing- 
ton, and  in  the  Coeur  d'Alene  Mountains,  within 
the  border  of  Idaho,  occur  numerous  veins  bear- 
ing gold,  silver,  copper,  lead,  sulphur  and  iron.  ''''f^°^l^^lf^ 
Discoveries  on  Cascade  Mountain  proper  have 
been  made  on  both  sides,  chiefly  in  the  region 
of  the  iron  ore.     Those  at  the  Denny  and  Chair 


Mountains. 


l6o  WASHINGTON    TERRITORY. 

Peak  mines  have  been  most  spoken  of.  Pro- 
fessor Mason,  of  the  "  Rennselaer  Polytechnic 
Institute,"  Troy,  New  York,  gives  the  following 
assay  of  two  samples  sent  from  the  Chair  Peak 
claim  of  Kelly,  Wilson  &  Co.: 


I  St.  Silver 

13.9  oz.  per  ton, 

2d.    Silver 

12.4 

Both 

14%  copper. 

River. 


Professor  Price,  of  San  Francisco,  also  assayed 
a  sample  from  the  same  vein. 

Silver     .  .  %2i-^2)  P^r  ton. 

12%  copper. 

Metallic  veins  are  found  also  in  connection 
Oncie-eiium  wlth  iron  orc  on  Cle-ellum  River.  Mr.  Burch 
reports  a  copper  and  silver  lode,  and  also  two 
lodes  of  gold  and  silver,  in  this  neighborhood. 
He  reports  the  ores  as  high  grade,  of  good, 
workable  thickness,  and  outcropping  for  several 
thousand  feet.  There  is  a  gray  ore  in  the  same 
region,  the  character  of  wiiich  has  not  yet  been 
determined.  This  has  already  been  mentioned 
as  lying  close  to  the  iron  ore,  and  may  possibly 
be  metamorphosed  chalcopyrite.  Mr.  Burch 
thinks  that  the  silver  ores  will  run  from  forty 
to  eighty  ounces,  while  in  some  spots  the  rich- 
ness is  very  extraordinary.  The  lead  ore  in  as- 
sociation ranges  from  fifteen  to  forty  per  cent. 


WASHINGTON    TERRITORY.  l6l 

1  he  same  gentleman,  who  is  a  resident  of  the    i-^rge  copper 

_  vein  in    Stevens 

Olvinagane  region,  reports  a  remarkable  lode  of  ^°""'>- 
copper  ore  running  due  south  across  Stevens 
County,  from  the  Canada  line  to  the  Columbia 
River,  It  shows  a  plain  outcrop  for  about 
forty  miles.  The  vein  carries  both  native  and 
gray  copper  and  a  small  percentage  of  silver. 

Reports,  apparently  authentic,  are  made  of 
numerous  other  veins  of  metal  in  the  same 
region,  particularly  in  the  valley  of  the  Methow  rrecious  metais 
River  and  the  valley  of  the  Okinagane  River.  ^'''^'■• 
The  Colville  region,  beginning  fifty  miles  north 
of  Spokane  Falls,  is  well  known  as  a  rich  min- 
ing centre. 

What  I  know  of  these  regions  I  learned  from 
the  oral  or  written  testimony  of  men  who  had 
seen  what  they  described,  and  some  of  them 
residents  of  the  localities. 

The  basin  of  the  Methow  River  has  been 
but  little  prospected,  and  although  I  gathered 
many  favorable  items  concerning  the  mineral 
deposits  there,  I  met  but  one  man  who  had 
personally  examined  the  country,  and  he  con- 
firmed the  favorable  reports.  He  said  the  ores 
were  similar  to  those  on  the  Okinas^ane,  but 
were  more  abundant. 

The  Okinagane  country  is  well  known,  hun- 
dreds of  men  having  been  at  work  there   last 


I  62  WASHINGTON    TERRITORY. 

The  rich  mines  summer,  and    some  of    its    mines,    particularly 

of  Okinagane  '■  ■' 

the  Ruby  and  Arlington,  having  become  nota- 
ble for  their  richness.  Among  my  informants 
are  Mr.  Burch  and  Mr.  Thomas  Lothian,  who 
both  reside  on  the  Okinagane  River  ;  and  also 
Mr.  J.  E.  Clayton,  mining  engineer,  who  made 
a  professional  report  on  the  country,  which  was 
printed  in  the  Spokane  Falls  Review. 

The  mining  district  is  on  Conconnully  Creek 
(misnamed  Salmon  River),  which  enters  Okina- 
gane River  from  the  northwest,  about  twenty 
miles  from  its  mouth.  There  are  two  wagon  roads 
to  the  Conconnully,  one  from  Spokane  Falls, 
with  a  branch  from  Sprague,  distance  1 50  miles, 
on  which  stages  ran  last  summer.  Another 
road  starts  from  Ellensburg  on  the  Yakima, 
and  is  195  miles  long.  With  an  expenditure 
of  a  few  thousand  dollars  on  the  channel  of 
the  Okinagane,  the  mouth  of  the  Conconnully 
could  be  reached  from  the  Columbia  by  light- 
draught  steamers,  from  which  a  railway  fifteen 
miles  long  would  reach  the  mines.  Mr.  Burch 
savs  that  he  and  his  father  sounded  the  river, 
and  also  the  Columbia,  and  that  steamers  can 
start  at  Rock  Island  Rapids  and  go  to  the 
mouth  of  the  Conconnully,  and,  in  flush  water, 
can  ascend  the  creek.  Mr.  Clayton  makes  the 
same  statement  as  to  the  river.     The  country 


WASHINGTON    TERRITORY.  163 

rocks  in  the  mining  districts  are  of  the  same 
character  as  those  associated  with  the  iron  ore 
on  Mount  Logan  and  the  Denny  Mountain — 
hard  metamorphic  and  plutonic  rocks. 

The  principal  mineral  lode  is  described  by 
Mr.  Clayton  as  "  composed  of  true  quartz 
gangue  carrying  the  silver  ore  in  disseminated 
grains  of  black  sulphurets  of  silver,  with  some 
copper-silver  glance,  and  a  brittle  sulphuret,  re- 
sembling tennantite,  giving  a  dark,  red,  powdery 
streak,  approaching  the  characteristics  of  dark 
antimonial  ruby  silver.  In  addition  to  this  is 
found  galena  and  zinc-blende." 

Assays  made  by  Mr.  Wm.  H.  Fuller,  of 
Spokane  Falls,  gave  for  first-class  ore  from  this 
lode:  Silver,  $186.45,  and  gold,  $4.50  =  $190.95 
value  per  ton.  Second-class  ore  assayed  $34.16 
silver  and  45  cents  gold.  Mr.  Slater  thinks 
that  one-third  of  the  vein  will  yield  first-class 
ore.  It  is  a  rich  vein,  averaging  eight  feet  so 
far  as  opened.  There  are  two  or  three  lodes  in 
the  district.  Years  will  be  required  to  ascer- 
tain their  limits.  But  all  the  indications  point 
to  large  mining  operations  in  the  Okinagane 
country  as  soon  as  the  transportation  can  be 
supplied. 

My  chief  authority  for  the  following  state- 
ments  concerning    the    Colville  region  is  Mr. 


The  mines  in 


164  WASHINGTON    TERRITORY. 

Kearney,  one  of  the  firm  of  Kearney  Brothers, 
owners  of  the  two  largest  mines  of  that  country, 
namely,  the  Old  Dominion  and  the  Daisy.  I 
incorporate  some  statements  also  from  two 
articles  published  in  the  Spokane  Falls  Review, 
one  by  W.  E.  Sullivan,  and  the  other  by  J.  B. 
Slater, 

The  Colville  region  is  the  east  end  of  Stevens 
'  regton!  "  County,  the  part  lying  east  of  the  Columbia 
River  and  north  of  Spokane  Falls.  Its  chief 
town  (500  inhabitants)  is  called  Colville,  from 
the  fort  of  that  name  which  was  situated  there. 
It  is  ninety-one  miles  north  of  Spokane  Falls. 
Between  the  two  points  there  is  almost  a  con- 
tinuous valley  of  great  productiveness.  The 
mineral  region  begins  at  Chewelah,  fifty  miles 
north  of  Spokane  Falls,  and  continues  at  least 
forty  miles  north  of  Colville.  Granite,  porphyry, 
and  limestone  are  found  here,  as  in  the  other 
metalliferous  regions.  In  some  cases  the  ores 
are  in  slate  and  quartz  ;  in  others,  in  granite  and 
porphyry  ;  in  still  others,  limestone.  Some  of 
the  ores  are  iron  carbonates,  carrying  silver, 
gold,  and  lead  in  paying  quantities.  In  other 
cases,  as  at  the  Old  Dominion  mines,  the  ore 
exists  in  the  form  of  a  chloride  and  black  sul- 
phate in  limestone  walls. 

Rich  mines  of  argentiferous  galena  were  dis- 


WASHINGTON    TERRITORY.  165 

covered  last  summer  three  or  four  miles  east  of 
Chewelah,  and  vigorously  developed  at  numer- 
ous points.  Seven  miles  west  of  Chewelah 
shafts  were  sunk  on  a  rich  vein,  three  feet  wide, 
of  gray  copper  and  silver  chloride.  The  Eagle 
Mine  was  the  first  discovery,  and  is  the  most 
noted.  It  is  black  metal,  containing  galena, 
silver,  and  gold.  Altogether,  there  are  said  to 
be  two  hundred  mining  claims,  more  or  less 
developed,  in  the  district  around  Chewelah. 

The  mines  in  the  Colville  district  are  very  Don!iSro^Minc. 
numerous.  The  Old  Dominion  Mine  is  six 
miles  east  of  the  town.  It  is  on  an  8-foot 
fissure  vein,  which  assays  150  ounces  silver,  25 
per  cent,  galena,  and  $7.00  gold  to  the  ton  of 
ore.  There  are  ten  mines  in  the  Old  Dominion 
group  ;  and  Mr.  Slater  states  that  the  $80,000 
worth  of  silver  reported  as  the  product  of 
Washington  Territory  in  1886,  all  went  from 
the  Old  Dominion  group. 

The  Daisy  Mine  is  twenty-four  miles  south-  winc"!'^^ 
ward  from  Colville.  The  vein  here  is  25  feet 
wide,  with  a  streak  of  ore  in  it  18  inches  wide, 
which  widens  to  1 1  feet  8  inches  at  the  bot- 
tom of  the  shaft.  This  shaft  is  127  feet  deep. 
Seventy-five  feet  from  the  top  of  the  shaft,  a 
tunnel  has  been  run  off  horizontally  in  five  feet 
of  ore.     The  assay  reported  for  the  Daisy  ore 


Dalles. 


I  66  WASHINGTON    TERRITORY. 

gives  silver  50  ounces,  gold  $2.00,  lead  30  per 
cent.,  and  iron  25  per  cent.  It  is  self-fluxing. 
Sixteen  miles  and  a  half  northward  from 
Colville,  near  the  Columbia  River,  a  rich  dis- 
covery of  silver-lead  ore  has  been  made  by  the 
''ToW-y""  Young  America  Consolidated  Company.  The 
vein  averages  five  feet,  runs  northeast  and 
southwest,  and  has  been  shafted  through  ore 
to  the  depth  of  180  feet.  A  test  showed  90 
ounces  of  silver  and  40  per  cent,  of  lead.  A 
number  of  other  openings  have  been  made  on 
the  lode. 
TheLiuie  Tlic  Llttlc  Dallcs,  thirty-eight  miles  north  of 

Colville,  is  another  neighborhood  rich  in  min- 
eral. The  ores  are  galena  and  lead  carbonate, 
with  silver.  On  Bruce  Creek,  and  east  of 
Bruce  Creek,  twelve  miles  north  of  Colville, 
are  similar  veins.  A  smelter  of  twenty  tons 
capacity  has  been  erected  at  Colville,  which 
affords  encouragement  to  mining ;  but  it  is  not 
satisfactory  to  the  largest  owners.  Smelting 
should  be  done  on  a  large  scale,  and  in  a  centre 
of  large  business.  There  can  be  no  doubt  that 
here,  also,  will  be  a  region  of  great  activity  and 
large  production  as  soon  as  it  is  connected  by 
rail  with  Spokane  Falls. 

I  have  indicated  the  mining  localities  on  the 
map  accompanying  this  Report  as  nearly  as  my 


WASHINGTON    TERRITORY.  167 

information  would  allow,  but  only  an  approxi- 
mation is  expected. 

The  region  that  just  now  is  attracting  most  caur  d-Aienc 
attention  is  the  Coeur  d'Alene  country,  because 
the  mines  are  more  developed  ;  and  they  are 
more  developed  because  the  miners  have  better 
transportation  than  exists  in  the  Colville  and 
the  other  mineral  regions.  Some  thousands  of 
men  were  at  work  last  season  on  the  streams 
entering  the  lake,  particularly  on  the  South 
Fork  of  the  Coeur  d'Alene  River. 

At  Spokane  Falls  I  was  able  to  get  reliable 
information  concerning  the  region,  and  would 
mention  as  chief  among  my  authorities  Mr.  S.  S. 
Glidden,  at  one  time  well  known  in  Alabama  as 
an  able  iron  manufacturer,  now  proprietor  of  the 
Tiger  Mine,  on  Canyon  Creek,  which  empties 
into  one  branch  of  Coeur  d'Alene  River.  By 
reference  to  the  map,  the  following  description 
may  be  readily  understood  : 

The  Coeur  d'Alene  Mountains,  River  and 
Lake  are  in  Idaho  Territory,  near  the  line  of 
Washington  Territory.  The  drainage  is  through 
Spokane  River  into  the  Columbia.  The  dis- 
tance from  the  nearest  point  on  the  lake  to 
Spokane  Falls  is  twenty-five  miles.  The  Coeur 
d'Alene  River  has  two  branches,  on  both  of 
which  mining  has  been  done,  but  most  largely 


I  68  WASHING  TON    TERRITORY. 

on  the  South  Fork.  Previous  to  1886,  all  the 
mining  on  this  fork  was  done  at  Eagle,  Beaver, 
Delta,  Murray,  etc.,  and  was  chiefly  gold  placer 
mining,  which  was  not  particularly  remunerative. 
Placer  mining  has  also  been  done  on  the  South 
Fork ;  but  the  chief  ores  on  this  branch  are 
argentiferous  galena,  with  some  gold  in  quartz. 
A  large  number  of  claims  have  been  worked 
into  since  the  beginning  in  18S5,  and  the  in- 
crease of  mining  population  has  been  going  on 
rapidly.  Mr.  Glidden  thought  that  there  were 
ten  thousand  people  last  fall  in  the  Coeur 
d'Alene  mining  country.  The  veins  are  acces- 
sible and  very  thick,  some  of  them  as  much  as 
forty  feet.  The  ores  usually  carry  40  to  60  per 
cent,  of  lead,  5  to  50  ounces  of  silver,  and  often 
about  $3.00  in  gold  to  the  ton  of  ore.  The 
veins  are  true  fissures,  and  strike  across  the 
country  rocks,  which  are  principally  porphyry 
and  quartzite.  The  strike  of  the  main  veins 
runs  parallel  to  the  river,  and  at  a  distance  of 
two  to  six  miles  from  it.  There  are  many  cross 
gulches  which  cut  the  veins  at  right  angles,  and 
thus  present  vertical  faces  which  offer  the  best 
facilities  for  prospecting  and  for  mining. 

The  veins  have  been  opened  at  so  many 
places  as  to  put  beyond  doubt  their  continuity 
on  long  lines,  and  their  great  abundance.     In 


to  the  mines. 


WASHINGTON    TERRITORY.  169 

fact,    the    indications  point  to  a   development 
resembling  that  made  near  Leadville. 

Some  of  the  ore  must  be  concentrated,  and 
much  of  it  must  be  shipped  in  bulk  to  the  re- 
duction works.  Such  tonnage  is  considered  the  '^nage'fro^n  and' 
best  possible  for  a  railroad.  The  ore  can  be 
carried  in  any  kind  of  car,  and  is  not  subject 
to  theft  or  any  sort  of  damage  ;  and  yet  its 
precious  character  enables  it  to  bear  higher 
freight  rates  than  pig-iron.  There  are  no  fluxes 
in  the  country  outside  of  the  ore  itself,  and  it 
will  be  more  economical  to  carry  the  ore  out 
than  to  bring  in  fluxes.  The  smelting  of  the 
ores  on  the  ground  would  be  further  embar- 
rassed by  the  difficulty  in  getting  fuel.  The 
timber  is  in  patches,  and  often  inaccessible ; 
hence  charcoal  would  be  costly,  and  there  is  no 
coke  to  be  gotten  anywhere  near.  The  smelt- 
ing of  mixed  ores  of  this  sort  is  a  very  compli- 
cated process,  requiring  quite  a  number  of  dif- 
ferent elements,  and  can  be  most  economically 
conducted  on  a  large  scale,  and  by  the  mixture 
of  various  different  ores.  Hence  the  advantage 
of  having  these  works  at  some  great  centre 
where  ores  of  many  kinds  may  be  brought.  In 
the  establishment  of  such  a  centre,  of  course, 
reference  should  be  had  to  commercial  and 
trading  facilities.     A  large  mining  community 


I  70  WASHINGTON    TERRITORY. 

in  one  place  and  a  large  commercial  and  manu- 
facturing" community  in  another,  involves  large 
transportation  of  crude  materials,  and  of  manu- 
factured products,  of  food,  and  of  passengers. 

As  yet,  the  Coeur  d'Alene  mining  is  in  its 
early  infancy.  Means  of  transportation  are 
partially  furnished  by  means  of  water  and  short 
narrow-gauge  railroads,  but  they  are  insufficient. 
Shipments  now  are  small,  but  they  will  rapidly 
increase,  and  Mr.  Glidden  thinks  that  in  three 
years  2,000  tons  of  ore  will  come  out  daily, 
and  as  many  tons  of  freight  go  in — certainly  a 
splendid  outlook  for  business. 

In  concluding,  as  I  have  now  done,  the  gen- 
eral statement  in  regard  to  the  physical  resources 
of  Washington  Territory,  I  would  remark,  that 
all  the  facts  stated  heretofore  have  a  close  rela- 
tion to  the  interests  of  the  Seattle,  Lake  Shore 
and  Eastern  Railway  and  its  friends,  and  that 
the  remainder  of  this  report  will  consist  in  prac- 
tical applications  of  the  facts  to  the  railroad  and 
personal  interests  involved. 


SPECIAL  REMARKS  on  the  Country 
AND  ITS  Resources  along  the  Line  of 
THE  Seattle,  Lake  Shore  and  Eastern 
Railway. 

SEATTLE. 

Concerning  this  city  of  15,000  to  16,000  in- 
habitants, I  need  not  repeat  what  has  been  so 
well  said  in  the  reports  of  Governor  Squire,  and 
of  United  States  officers  who  have  examined 
and  reported  to  the  Government  with  regard  to 
this  location — notably.  Gen.  Isaac  I.  Stephens, 
Gen.  George  B.  McClellan,  Gen.  Nelson  A. 
Miles,  and  others ;  also  by  the  Seattle  Cham- 

,  c      r-y  T  1  •  •  I         1  Commercial  and 

ber  of  Commerce.  Its  location,  its  harbor,  manufacturing 
its  people,  its  commerce  and  manufactures,  its 
solid  and  rapid  growth,  and  its  local  relation  to 
all  the  great  natural  resources  of  the  Territory, 
give  to  Seattle  advantages  which  cannot  be 
equalled  by  any  other  port  on  the  Sound.  Its 
climate,  as  to  temperature,  both  in  winter  and 
summer,  is  remarkable.  It  is  pleasantly  cool  in 
summer,  and  in  winter  rarely  severe.  Its  only 
drawback  is  an  excess  of  moisture  for  perhaps 


advantages. 


Good  climate. 


172  WASHINGTON'    TERRITORY. 

four  months  of  the  winter  season.  But  this  is 
preferable  to  the  violent  storms  and  deep  snows 
and  extreme  cold  to  which  the  Eastern  plains 
and  the  upper  Mississippi  country  are  subject, 
and  which  sometimes  attack  New  York  and  the 
New  England  States.  On  Puget  Sound  there 
are  no  blizzards  nor  cyclones,  and  rarely  so 
much  as  an  inch  of  snow.  The  medical  testi- 
monies give  a  very  favorable  bill  of  health. 

The  industries  of  city  and  country  are  prose- 
cuted with  less  interruption  from  weather  than 
in  any  of  the  States  east  of  the  Rocky  Moun- 
tains. The  annual  rainfall  is  not  greater,  not 
so  great,  indeed,  as  in  some  parts  of  the  Atlantic 
seaboard.  It  is  not  so  well  distributed  among 
the  months  as  it  is  eastward  ;  but  outdoor  work 
rarely  stops  on  Puget  Sound. 

The  population  of  Seattle  struck  me  as  ex- 
ceedingly good.  Her  controlling  classes  are 
men  of  character,  intelligence  and  substance. 
The  appearance  of  the  stores,  the  streets,  the 
offices,  and  factories,  would  do  credit  to  an  old 
city.  Water,  electric  lights,  street  railways, 
good  fire  companies,  well  organized  police, 
handsome  residences,  churches,  schools — all 
High  civiiiza-  ^^ttest  the  progress  of  her  civilization.  Her 
wharves  and  railroad  depots  are  crowded  with 
business.     The  special  pride  of  the  city  seems 


Good  population 


tion. 


WA  SHING  TON   TERR  I  TOR  Y. 


17: 


to  be  her  schools,  public  and  private.  Her 
large  and  handsome  school  buildings  seem  pur- 
posely to  have  been  placed  in  the  most  promi- 
nent positions.  Her  public  school  system  is 
well  organized  and  supported.  The  University 
of  the  Territory  is  located  here,  and  in  full 
operation.  These  things,  considered  together, 
augur  most  favorably  for  the  future  of  this 
young  city. 

Her  growth  will  be  rapidly  accelerated  by  the  Railroad  unes. 
extension  of  her  railroads.  Besides  her  coal 
roads,  she  will  soon  be  practically  the  connecting 
point  of  certainly  two,  and  perhaps  three,  trans- 
continental railroad  lines.  She  now  has  railroad 
connection  with  the  Northern  Pacific,  and  will 
shortly  be  connected  with  the  Canadian  Pacific 
by  the  West  Coast  road.  But  the  road  that  will 
do  most  for  Seattle,  indeed,  the  road  which  of 
itself  would  make  a  city  at  its  Sound  terminus, 
is  the  Seattle,  Lake  Shore  and  Eastern  Rail- 
road. This  will  be  true  if  the  road  never  crosses 
the  limits  of  Washington  Territory ;  but  no 
doubt  it  will  ultimately  cross  the  continent,  or 
at  least  have  close  transcontinental  connections. 

When  these  roads  are  thus  extended,  they 
will  bring  vast  quantities  of  lumber,  and  of 
mineral  and  agricultural  products,  and  carry  in 
exchange  foreign   and   domestic    products  for 


174 


WASHINGTON    TERRITORY. 


the  supply  of  the  rural  and  mining  population, 
to  say  nothing  of  the  great  Eastern  trade.     Her 
coastwise  and  foreign  trade  have  already  been 
discussed. 
The  chief  ship-       Pugfct    Sound    must  also   become  the    chief 

building  centre.  <-> 

ship-building  centre  of  the  continent,  and  the 
possession  by  Seattle  of  the  great  fresh-water 
lakes  so  close  to  the  Sound,  and  the  fact  that 
here  will  be  the  point  where  the  Bessemer  pig- 
iron  and  its  products  will  be  manufactured,  will 
give  this  point  advantage  over  all  others  on  the 
Sound.  Seattle  will  build  ships  for  England, 
New  England,  South  America,  Asia,  and  the 
Islands  of  the  Ocean  ;  and  just  here  will  first  be 
seen  the  dawning  of  the  new  day  which  will 
come  to  our  American  merchant  marine,  of  late 
so  depressed.  And  the  Government  itself  must 
sooner  or  later  establish  on  Lake  Washington 
a  navy-yard  where  ships  can  be  built  of  the  best 
material  at  minimum  cost ;  and  where  her  ships 
out  of  commission  can  lie  landlocked,  secure 
from  the  teredo  and  the  corroding  effects  of 
sea-water,  and  can  at  once  get  rid  of  their 
barnacles. 
Seattle  better        Scattlc  can  havc  no  rival  on  the  Pacific  Coast 

located  than  San  _  _-,  .  i    •     i       i  ,  i  i  i 

Francisco,  cxccpt  San  Francisco,  which  has  the  only  good 
harbor  and  entrance  outside  of  Puget  Sound, 
but  which   has  no  coal,  nor  iron,  nor  timber, 


WA  SHING  TON    TERR  I  TOR  Y. 


175 


and  whose  back-country  does  not  equal  the 
Snoqualmie  valley  of  East  Washington  for 
agricultural  and  mineral  capabilities. 

THE  TERMINAL  PROrERTY  OF  THE  SEATTLE,  LAKE 
SHORE  AND  EASTERN  RAILROAD. 

The  city  and  suburban  property  which  the  unrivaiied  ter- 
railroad  has  secured  is  singularly  valuable,  and  p'-°p"ty- 
will  afford  every  facility  for  city  and  foreign 
business.  It  is  correctly  described  in  the  docu- 
ments of  the  company.  No  future  road  can 
acquire  such  facilities.  They  approach  a  mo- 
nopoly of  great  value. 


But  two  en- 
trances by  land. 


SUBURBAN    INTERESTS. 

There  can  be  practically  but  two  railroad  en- 
trances to  Seattle,  one  from  the  south,  and  the 
other  from  the  north,  owing  to  the  bluff  ground 
on  which  the  city  is  built,  with  Puget  Sound  in 
front  and  Lake  Washington  in  the  rear.  The 
roads  from  the  existing  coal  mines  and  from 
the  Northern  Pacific  enter  from  the  south ;  the 
Lake  Shore  road  enters  from  the  north.  Sub- 
urban improvements  will  no  doubt  be  extended 
both  north  and  south.  But  it  seemed  to  mc  superiority  of 
that  for  residences  and  amusements  the  north-  "subuVhs"" 
ern  end  has  the  advantage,  as  the  high  lands 


176  WASHINGTON    TERRITORY. 

are  more  convenient  to  the  railroad,  and  com- 
mand fine  views  of  those  beautiful  lakes  on  the 
east,  and  of  the  Sound  on  the  west.  Here  will 
be  the  pleasant  drives,  the  place  for  sailing, 
rowing  and  swimming ;  for  open-air  games, 
picnics,  etc.  On  the  east  side  of  Lake  Wash- 
ington will  be  vegetable  and  fruit  gardens  and 
dairies,  whose  products  will  reach  the  city  by  this 
railroad ;  to  all  of  which  have  been  added  the 
powerful  influence  of  the  Moss  Bay  operations. 
The  logging  business  begins  in  sight  of  the 
city,  and  a  number  of  logging  camps  were 
already  in  operation  along  the  first  twenty  miles 
of  the  railroad.  After  the  loggers,  follow  the 
farmers.  Already  a  surprising  number  of  peo- 
ple have  established  homes  in  this  direction. 
Near  the  Sound  and  a  little  distance  from 
Factories  of  the  thc  clty  will  bc  grcat  saw-mills,  grain  elevators, 
canneries,  and,  in  time,  fish-oil  and  fertilizer 
mills,  tanneries,  smelting  furnaces,  sulphuric 
acid  and  other  chemical  works.  And  here  will 
bc  the  ship  canal  connecting  the  lakes  with  the 
Ship  canal.     Souud,  and  the  shipyards  of  the  future. 

TIMBER. 

The  great  lumber  interest  will  have  a  larger 
and  richer  field  on  the  Seattle,  Lake  Shore  and 
Eastern   Railroad  than  on   any  other  through 


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WASHINGTON    TERRITORY.  IJJ 

line  in  Washington  Territory.     On  the  line  of    superiority  of 

*-  ■'  the  tiinheron  the 

the    Northern  Pacific    Railroad   the   timber  is  shoTJand^E^a^t- 

abundant,  but  too  small  for  the  mill,  except  in    ""  ^^^'^''^^- 

a  very  few  spots.     The  other  roads  show  but 

little  left  close  by,  and  the  trees  never  had  the 

size  of  those  of  Snoqualmie  Valley.    The  West 

Coast  road,  which  will  be  tributary  to  the  Lake 

Shore  Railroad,  will  pass  through  good  forests ; 

but,  according  to  my  information,  the  forests  on 

the  line  of  the  Lake  Shore  road  are  the  vcr)^ 

best  in  Washing^ton  Territory, 

The  forest  of  mill  timber  beginning  in  sight 
of  Seattle,  continues  with  some  intermissions  to 
the  top  of  the  Cascade  Mountains.  It  increases 
in  size  and  quantity  to  a  point  far  up  on  the 
mountain  side,  and  the  trees  continue  of  good 
size  all  the  way  to  the  top.  Crossing  the  Cas- 
cade Mountains,  on  the  east  side  the  trees  are 
quite  numerous,  but  smaller  than  on  the  west 
side,  though  some  of  them  can  be  sawed. 
Continuing  eastward,  the  trees  get  fewer  and 
smaller,  and  change  from  fir  to  ordinary  yellow 
and  bull  pine.  In  the  plateau  country  of  the 
Great  Bend  there  are  only  scattered  groups  of 
stunted  trees  to  be' seen,  and,  excepting  a  few 
skirts  along  the  bluffs  of  the  Columbia,  no 
forests  of  mill  timber  arc  to  be  met  with  until 
after  passing  the  Idaho  line. 


178  WASFIINGTOAr    TERRITORY. 

The  forests  de-       \  ^yiH  now  rcvicw  this  tlmbcr  belt  with  more 

scribed. 

particularity.  After  leaving  Seattle,  there  is 
a  somewhat  elevated  country  between  the  lakes 
and  Puget  Sound,  which  is  largely  covered  with 
mill  timber  of  medium  size.  Perhaps  two  feet 
and  a  half  would  be  about  the  average  diameter 
of  the  logs.  Here,  as  everywhere,  the  principal 
timber,  and  that  most  cut  and  valued,  are  the 
Douglas  hr  and  the  white  cedar. 

Continuing  along  Lake  Samamish,  and  up 
Squak  Ci'eek,  these  forests  continue  on  both 
sides  at  some  distance  off.  A  large  body  of 
moderately  sized  timber  runs  off  toward  the 
northeast,  covering  the  hills  which  lie  in  front 
of  the  mountain  range.  Passing  the  Gilman 
mines,  w^e  meet  but  little  large  timber  until  we 
^Tr'RKe^^^"  enter  the  valley  of  Raging  River.  Here  there 
is  an  almost  unbroken  forest  of  splendid  tim- 
ber, extending  from  near  the  mouth  as  far  up 
as  I  went,  namely,  ten  miles  from  the  mouth. 
The  mill  timber  here  would  average  from  six  to 
ten  inches  more  in  diameter  than  that  we  passed 
near  Lake  Washington  ;  and  there  seemed  to 
be  a  vast  body  of  it  in  this  valley.  As  far  up 
on  the  hill  or  mountain  side  "as  I  went,  or  could 
see,  the  trees  retain  their  large  size. 

At  the  upper  coal  mines  I  found  this  to  be 
the  case  to  the  mountain  top,  800  or  900  feet 


WASHINGTON    TERRITORY.  I  79 

above  the  river.  The  trees  were  not  only  large, 
and  thick  on  the  ground,  but  extremely  tall  and 
free  from  knots.  I  was  told  that  the  hea\'y 
forest  continued  a  considerable  distance  above 
the  upper  coal  mines. 

In  the  Snoqualmie  Valley  proper  are  to  be  Ho'^^Ran^h 
found  the  largest  forests  and  the  largest  trees. 
The  farmers  and  hop-growers  have  destroyed 
thousands  of  acres  of  the  finest  timber  trees  on 
the  continent,  but  many,  many  thousand  acres 
still  remain  unbroken.  Between  Falls  City  and 
Hop  Ranch  the  wagon  road  passed  through 
two  or  three  miles  of  this  magnificent  timber. 
Turning  from  the  road,  I  ascended  the  Sno- 
qualmie Mountain,  and  all  the  way  up  to  the 
coal  openings  I  traveled  in  the  densest  forest 
of  the  largest  trees  I  had  ever  seen.  Passing 
the  cleared  country  about  Hop  Ranch,  I  again 
plunged  into  one  of  these  monstrous  forests, 
and  traveled  three  or  four  miles  through  it 
without  a  break.  The  sun  never  touches  the 
earth  in  these  forests.  The  trees  rise  to  the 
height  of  250  feet  or  upward,  and  lock  their 
branches  together  far  overhead,  shutting  out  the 
sunlight  and  awing  the  traveler.  Their  trunks 
seem  to  stand  absolutely  straight  and  plumb 
from  the  ground  to  the  top.  I  had  studied  the 
long-leafed  pine  forests  of   Georgia,  Alabama, 


l8o  WASHINGTON    TERRITORY. 

Superior  to  the  and  Mississipoi.      I  had  traveled  for  a  hundred 

Long  Leaf  ^   •■ 

southern°stLtes  Hiiles  through  that  marvelous  forest  on  the 
stiippi' Bottom.  Yazoo  Delta,  where  it  seemed  to  me  that  Na- 
ture had  done  her  utmost  in  covering  the 
ground  with  vast  and  lofty  trees ;  but  here  in 
the  Snoqualmie  valley  I  traveled  through  for- 
ests that  for  the  size,  height,  and  number  of  trees 
to  the  acre,  as  much  exceeded  the  forests  of  the 
Yazoo  bottom  as  the  latter  exceeded  all  other 
forests  I  had  ever  seen.  The  Snoqualmie  for- 
est also  exceeds  all  others  I  have  known  in  the 
immense  quantity  of  its  fallen  timber,  which 
renders  locomotion  off  of  the  trails  extremely 
slow  and  difficult.  The  railroad  ascends  the 
South  Fork  of  the  Snoqualmie.  I  did  not  go 
up  the  Middle  Fork,  but  was  told  that  the 
timber  is  fine  in  that  valley  also. 

The  little  Salal  Prairie,  live  or  six  miles  long, 
and  six  miles  from  Hop  Ranch,  breaks  the  con- 
tinuity of  the  forests,  but  with  that  exception,  it 
continues  to  the  pass  of  the  mountain.  As  to 
the  size  of  the  trees,  I  feel  sure  that  I  saw  hun- 
^'"Lmetlr?""  drcds  that  would  average  ten  feet  in  diameter. 
I  measured  two  that  were  by  no  means  singular, 
and  one  gave  a  circumference  of  thirty-three 
feet  (equal  to  eleven  feet  diameter),  and  the 
other  not  much  less.  There  is  no  doubt  that 
many  of  these  trees  are  300  feet  in  height.     I 


WASHINGTON    TERRITORY.  l8l 

think   it  likely  that  the  averasre  heigrht  of  the   Average  nearly 

•'  o  o  five  (eet  in 

mill  timber  on  the  line  of  the  road  from  Raging  '^'"'Te'e'rhigh.'^" 
River,  for  two-thirds  of  the  way  up  the  main 
mountain  (a  distance  of  over  twenty-five  miles), 
is  250  feet,  and  150  feet  of  this  clear  of  limbs, 
and  hence  of  knots.  And  I  think  that  the 
average  diameter  of  the  butt-cuts  of  the  mill 
timber  would  be  near  five  feet.  I  found  my 
greatest  difficulty  in  estimating  by  the  eye  the 
average  number  of  trees  to  an  acre.  I  can  only 
say  that  I  not  only  never  saw  so  many,  but  I 
never  conceived  it  possible  for  such  a  number 
of  large  trees  to  be  supported  by  the  soil  of  an 
acre  of  ground.  It  was  not  unusual  to  see 
many  trees  of  six  to  eight  feet  in  diameter 
standing  within  ten  feet  of  each  other.  I  knew, 
of  course,  that  there  were  single  trees  in  Cali- 
fornia, and  elsewhere,  larger  than  any  single 
specimens  to  be  found  here,  but  I  did  not  know 
before  going  to  Washington  Territory  that  such 
forests  as  these  were  to  be  found  on  the  face  of 
the  earth. 

I  shall  leave  to  men  better  versed  in  the  de-  ^""pc'acrT.''"" 
tails  of  the  lumber  business  than  I  to  estimate 
the  quantity  of  sawed  lumber  which  would  be 
yielded  by  an  acre  of  such  timber,  and  by  the 
many  thousands  of  acres  which  lie  on,  or  near, 
the  line  of  this  railroad.     Somebody  published 


1 82  WASHINGTON    TERRITORY. 

that  the  average  yield  of  the  Washington  Terri- 
tory forests  would  be  30,000  feet  to  the  acre, 
and  this  may  be,  because  there  is  much  small 
and  scattered  timber ;  but  if  this  amount  be 
multiplied  by  six,  it  would  not  do  justice  to  the 
forests  I  saw  in  the  Snoqualmie  valley.  There 
are  single  trees  that  would  make  30,000  feet  of 
lumber.  It  is  fortunate  that  the  fir  and  cedar 
timber  are  preferred  by  the  lumbermen,  as 
these  varieties  constitute  the  larger  portion  of 
the  forest.  Undoubtedly  the  hemlock  will  all 
be  wanted  at  an  early  day,  and  so  of  the  larch 
and  the  less  abundant  trees,  both  evergreen  and 
deciduous. 

The  bearing  of  these  facts  on  the  interests  of 
the  railroad  are  obvious.  Such  bodies  of  tim- 
ber, standing  close  to  the  road  for  a  distance  of 
eighty  miles,  would  of  itself  guarantee  the  suc- 
cess of  the  road  for  a  generation  to  come. 

And  there  is  everything  favorable  in  the 
position  of  the  timber  with  reference  to  the 
track,  especially  if  the  track,  in  ascending  the 
mountain,  can  be  kept  near  the  river.  It  is  to 
be  hoped  that  the  timber  along  the  right  of  way 
will  be  saved  for  sawing.  It  would  be  no  small 
item  in  paying  for  the  road. 

There  will  promptly  spring  up  along  the 
whole  line  both  logging-camps  and   saw-mills. 


WASHINGTON    TERRITORY.  183 

Besides  those  already  in  operation,  1  heard  of 
some  large  new  enterprises  projected.  The  de- 
mand for  lumber  is  so  insatiable,  and  the  profits 
of  the  business  so  good,  that  an  extensive  fresh 
field  like  this  will  be  entered  with  avidity  by  an 
army  of  lumbermen. 

AGRICULTURAL  PRODUCTS. 

The  agricultural  interest  is  not  so  large  at  Agricultural 
present  on  the  west  side  of  the  Cascade  Range, 
as  the  timber,  coal  and  iron  interests,  but  it  is 
growing,  and  will  become  exceedingly  important. 
East  of  the  Cascade  Mountains  this  will  be  the 
chief  railroad  interest  in  the  beginning,  though 
ultimately  it  w^ill  be  surpassed  by  the  tonnage 
of  the  mines.  I  have  heretofore  described  the 
soils  and  vegetable  products  of  West  Wash- 
ington, but  would  say  specially  with  regard  to 
the  belt  we  are  considering,  that  it  is  destined 
to  be  a  fine  agricultural  region.  The  bottom 
lands  of  Squak  Creek,  and  of  Snoqualmie 
River,  including  all  its  branches  and  tributa- 
ries, are  extremely  fertile,  and  suited  to  produce 
the  largest  crops  of  grass,  oats,  barley,  hops,  and 
roots  of  almost  every  sort,  besides  most  of  the 
overground  vegetables. 

At  my  request,   Mr.   Wilson,   the  manager.  Produce  of  Hop 

-'  ■^  Ranch. 

and  one  of  the  owners  of  the  Hop  Ranch,  fur- 


184  WASHINGTON    TERRITORY. 

nished  me  the  following  written  statement  con- 
cerning that  estate,  which,  although  larger  than 
any  other  on  the  route,  is  not  richer  than  many 
other  places  of  smaller  size. 

MR.  Wilson's  letter. 

Snoqualmie,  W.  T.,  Nov.  3,  1887. 
Dr.  Ruffner. 

Dear  Si7^ :  In  response  to  your  request,  I 
make  the  following  memoranda.  Our  Hop 
Farm  consists  of  1,500  acres  of  rich  alluvial 
soil ;  300  acres  in  hops,  which  produce  from 
1,800  to  2,000  pounds  per  acre.  We  also  raise 
150  acres  of  oats,  producing  sixty  to  seventy- 
five  bushels  per  acre.  From  100  to  150  acres 
in  hay,  producing  about  three  tons  to  the  acre. 
Also  large  quantities  of  vegetables,  such  as 
potatoes,  carrots,  turnips  and  onions.  All  kinds 
of  root  vegetables  are  prolific  except  sweet  po- 
tatoes. Fruits,  such  as  apples,  pears,  prunes, 
plums,  and  berries  of  all  kinds,  are  in  abun- 
dance. Last  year  we  had  over  5,000  bushels  of 
apples. 

At  present  we  ship  in  about  500  tons  per 
year  of  merchandise  and  supplies,  and  ship  out, 
in  the  way  of  hops  and  other  things,  from  400 
to  500  tons  per  year.     This  we  could  double  if 


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WASHINGTON    TERRITORY.  185 

we  had  railroad  facilities  for  shipping.  We  em- 
ploy during  the  winter — that  is,  in  November, 
December  and  January — about  forty  men ;  the 
rest  of  the  year,  from  75  to  1,200  men  and 
women.  The  keeping  up  of  this  supply  of 
labor,  which  all  comes  from  Seattle,  would  be 
quite  an  item  to  the  traffic  of  a  railroad.  I  pre- 
sume you  know  that  where  there  are  a  large 
number  of  people  employed,  they  are  continu- 
ally coming  and  going.  In  speaking  with  a 
railroad  contractor  the  other  day,  he  told  me 
that  in  order  to  keep  500  men  at  work,  he  had 
to  keep  1,500  on  the  road.  This  will  also  be 
an  important  item  when  the  mines  are  work- 
ing above  here.  There  are  a  great  many  items 
of  interest  to  which  I  might  call  your  atten- 
tion, but  I  will  confine  myself  to  the  above  at 
present. 

Yours,  very  respectfully, 

T.  G.  WILSON, 

SECRETARY    AND    MANAGER    OF   THE 

HOP  growers'  association. 

Besides    the    bottom    lands,  there   are   large    Farming,  fruit 
areas  of  what  might  be  called  table-lands,  north        'a"ds. 
and   northeast    of    the   lakes,    which    are    top- 
dressed  with  glacial  drift,  but  which  will  be  well 
adapted  to  the  crops  of  the  country,  and  espec- 


1 86  WASHINGTON    TERRITORY. 

ially  to  fruits.  And  besides  the  table-lands,  the 
smaller  mountains  are  generally  adapted  to  agri- 
culture, and  especially  to  grazing.  My  impres- 
sion, as  heretofore  stated,  is  that,  ultimately.  West 
Washington  will  become  a  great  grazing  region, 
though  it  is  generally  supposed  that  East  Wash- 
ington is  to  be  the  chief  cattle  country.  But 
the  mild  and  equable  climate,  and  the  abun- 
dance of  rain,  ensures  abundant  forage  summer 
and  winter  in  West  Washington.  This  will  be 
important  for  the  feeding  of  cities  farther  south, 
as  well  as  for  sending  canned  and  refrigerator 
beef  far  and  wide  over  the  Pacific  Ocean.  The 
growth  of  vegetables,  especially  of  root  crops, 
is  something  phenomenal  on  both  sides  of  the 
Cascade  Mountains,  and  will  furnish  a  large 
item  of  commerce,  as  is  shown  already  by  the 
large  shipments  of  potatoes  from  Seattle,  and 
the  multiplication  of  canneries. 
Hops,  barley  and  Thc  hop  Intcrcst  Is  a  largc  one,  but  the  low 
prices  of  the  last  year  or  two  have  checked  the 
progress  of  this  industry.  Breweries  have 
already  been  established  at  Seattle,  and  else- 
where on  Puget  Sound,  and,  as  the  chief  mate- 
rials for  beer  (barley  and  hops)  are  produced 
here  so  cheaply  and  abundantly,  we  may  expect 
Puget  Sound  beer  to  become  quite  a  large  item 
of  commerce. 


beer. 


WASHINGTON    TERRITORY.  187 

The  Snoqualmie  and  Squak  valleys  have  as 
yet  but  a  scattered  agricultural  population,  but 
ultimately  far.ms  will  be  opened  along  all  the 
streams,  and  even  high  up  on  the  Cascade 
Mountains. 

On  the  east  side  of  the  Cascade  Mountains 
the  Seattle,  Lake  Shore  and  Eastern  Railway    t^c  two  great 

J  railroads. 

will  closely  parallel  the  Northern  Pacific  Rail- 
road for  a  short  distance  in  the  Yakima  River 
valley,  but  will  probably  leave  it  soon  after 
entering  the  most  productive  part.  The  route, 
however,  may  be  varied  to  suit  circumstances, 
and  as  to  this  point  no  doubt  would  be  if  the 
talk  of  making  EUensburg  the  State  capital 
should  become  serious.  The  remark  may  here 
be  thrown  in  that  this  meeting  of  the  two  rail- 
roads in  the  Yakima  valley  will  be  no  disadvan- 
tage to  the  Seattle  road,  as  the  distance  to  Puget 
Sound  is  about  the  same,  and  the  incidental 
advantages  are  in  favor  of  Seattle. 

Crossing  the  Columbia  River,  the  railway 
will  enter  the  great  plateau  which  has  been  so 
fully  described,  and  if  the  passage  should  be 
made  at  Rock  Island  Rapids,  it  will  cross  the 
plateau  at  its  widest  part.  Nothing  more  need 
be  said  as  to  the  great  agricultural  capabilities 
of  the  plateau  country.  The  Great  Bend,  or  '"'country/" 
northern  limb  of  the  plateau,  is  more  extensive 


I  88  WASHINGTON    TERRITORY. 

than  the  southern  division,  but  it  is  a  much  less 
settled  country,  owing  partly  to  want  of  trans- 
portation, and  partly  to  want  of  water.  This 
Douglas  County,  scarclty  of  water  in  Douglas  County  was  for- 
merly thought  to  be  incurable  without  a  resort  to 
artesian  wells ;  but  experiment  has  shown  that 
wells  of  good  water  can  be  obtained  at  moder- 
ate depths,  as  I  was  informed  by  Mr.  Smith,  a 
resident  of  the  county,  and  by  Mr.  Nash,  the 
lawyer,  who  owns  property  there.  The  popula- 
tion and,  consequently,  the  business  of  this  large 
county  is  limited  at  present,  but  it  has  a  large 
body  of  good  land  in  it,  which  will  attract  settlers 
before  long.  Its  soil  is  of  the  same  character  as 
that  of  other  parts  of  the  plateau ;  but  the  general 
impression  seemed  to  be  that  it  was  not  quite 
equal  to  the  land  of  the  Snake  River  Basin,  or 
to  the  adjoining  county  of  Lincoln,  owing  in 
part  to  a  larger  proportion  of  rough  land.  I  do 
not,  hov/ever,  consider  this  question  by  any 
means  as  settled.  The  best  area  for  wheat  is 
supposed  to  be  that  which  borders  on  Lincoln 
County.  If  the  route  for  the  Seattle  railway 
which  is  preferred  by  Mr.  Mohr,  should  be 
adopted,  it  would  pass  across  the  northern  part 
of  the  county,  by  many  persons  considered  the 
best  part,  and  leave  the  great  body  of  the 
county  out  of  reach  to  the  southward. 


WASHINGTON    TERRITORY.  189 

Lincoln  County,  through  the  length  of  which  Lincoln  county. 
the  road  must  pass,  is  universally  admitted  to 
be  among  the  best  agricultural  counties  on  the 
plateau.  It  is  also  settling  up  rapidly,  and  has 
become  a  large  producer  of  wheat,  ev^en  at  the 
disadvantage  of  a  long  haul  in  wagons.  Mr. 
Curtis,  w^ho  buys  much  of  the  Lincoln  County 
wheat  for  his  mill  at  Spokane  Falls,  says  that 
the  average  yield  of  wheat  is  twenty-five 
bushels  per  acre,  though  in  1886  (the  year  of 
failure)  it  fell  to  sixteen  and  one-half  bushels. 
Captain  McGowan,  of  Lincoln  County,  also 
gave  twenty-five  bushels  as  the  average  crop, 
and  said  this  would  hold  good  for  the  whole 
period  since  the  settlement  of  the  county,  in- 
cluding the  bad  year  1886. 

By  ;-eference  of  the  official  map  showing  the  spokaneCounty. 
wheat  areas,  it  will  be  seen  that  the  Seattle 
railway  passes  through  the  middle  of  these  areas 
in  both  Lincoln  and  Spokane  counties.  The 
testimony  was  entirely  favorable  in  regard  to 
horticultural  and  pomological  products,  as  well 
as  to  the  agricultural,  in  the  strict  sense.  The 
population  of  the  three  counties,  Douglas, 
Lincoln  and  Spokane,  was  put  by  Governor 
Semple  at  nearly  18,000 ;  about  1 7,000  of  which 
was  in  Lincoln  and  Spokane.  Much  land  has  ''"'^'-',°[J^'™'"« 
been   bought  with  a  vicw^  to  settlement  as  well 


190 


WASHINGTON    TERRITORY. 


as  speculation,  and  this  would  be  occupied  and 
cultivated /^r^'/^i-^/^  with  the  progress  of  the 
railroad,  and  there  yet  remains  much  good  land 
which  can  be  bought  at  low  prices,  say  from 
one  dollar  to  five  dollars  an  acre,  and  will  at- 
tract settlers.  Farming  lands  here  will  have 
market  at  the  mines  north  of  the  Columbia 
River,  at  Spokane  Falls,  where  there  will  be  a 
large  city,  as  well  as  large  mills,  and  at  Seattle, 
where  there  will  be  a  large  demand  not  only 
for  the  city,  but  for  shipping. 

No  reliable  estimates  can  now  be  made  as 
Tonnage.  to  what  buslucss  thls  Great  Bend  country  will 
furnish  ten  to  twenty  years  hence.  We  have 
only  this  to  guide  us,  namely,  that  the  part  of 
the  plateau  which  lies  south  of  the  Northern 
Pacific  Railroad  now  furnishes  400,000  tons 
of  wheat  for  transportation  annually,  besides 
other  freight  and  passengers ;  and  it  has  not 
reached  one-half  of  its  producing  capacity.  Mr. 
Mohr  estimates  the  income  from  mail  and  ex- 
press as  one-fifth  the  income  from  freight,  and 
passenger  fares  as  one-quarter  of  the  whole 
amount  from  tonnage.  Though  the  country 
lying  north  of  the  Northern  Pacific  Railroad  is 
much  larger  in  area  than  that  which  lies  south  of 
it,  it  may  not  average  as  well,  and  cannot  all  be 
controlled  by  one  railroad  ;  but  it  will  certainly 


WASHINGTON    TERRITORY.  I91 

furnish  large  tonnage  ;  much  more  than  is  com- 
mon in  agricultural  regions. 

At  present  the  product  of  wheat  in  this  re- 
gion is  estimated  at  100,000  bushels,  but  this 
amount  would  probably  be  doubled  the  first 
year  after  the  railroad  comes,  and  rapidly  in- 
creased afterward.  Much  of  the  mining  busi- 
ness already  crosses  this  territory,  and  will,  no 
doubt,  greatly  increase. 

COAL. 

I  have,  under  the  head  of  Economic  Geology, 
described  so  fully  the  coal  deposits  of  Wash- 
ington Territory,  especially  the  beds  along  the 
line  of  the  Seattle,  Lake  Shore  and  Eastern  Rail- 
way, that  it  remains  only  to  show  the  applica- 
tion of  these  facts  to  the  interests  of  this  rail- 
way.    The  road  passes  five,  if  not  six,  separate     The  Seattle 

railway    passes 

coal  fields  between  Seattle  and  the  Columbia  five  coai  ceids. 
River,  namely,  the  Squak  or  Oilman  mines, 
40  miles  from  Seattle  ;  the  Washington  mines, 
43  miles;  the  Raging  River,  46  to  50  miles; 
the  Snoqualmie  Mountain,  56  miles ;  the  Yaki- 
ma (or  Roslyn),  75  miles ;  and  perhaps  the 
Wenatchie,  140  miles. 

So  far  as  appears  at  present,  the  Seattle  rail- 
way will  have  a  monopoly  of  all  these  fields  ex- 
cept the  Yakima  or  Roslyn.     This  it  will  share 


192 


IV A  SHING  TON    TERR  I  TOR  V. 


with  the  Northern  Pacific ;  but  it  will  have 
exclusive  control  of  the  market  between  the 
Yakima  and  Spokane  Falls,  which  will  be 
almost  wholly  dependent  upon  coal  for  fuel. 
Also,  it  will  furnish  whatever  of  this  coal  may 
be  wanted  by  the  mining  country  north  of  the 
Columbia.  '■'And  in  the  Spokane  Falls  market 
it  will  have  the  advantage  of  bringing  the  coal 
by  a  route  fifty  miles  shorter. 

The  coal  on  the  west  side  of  the  Cascade 
Mountains  will  go  to  Seattle  for  consumption 
and  shipment,  except  so  much  as  may  be  wanted 
for  iron  making,  and  other  manufacturing 
purposes  along  the  line  of  the  road.  Coke  will 
be  in  demand  for  furnaces,  foundries,  engines, 
etc.,  in  Seattle,  Spokane  Falls,  and  many  other 
places.  But  its  largest  consumption  will  be  in 
iron  furnaces  which  will  be  erected  for  smelting 
the  ores  of  the  Cascade  Mountains. 
mentTfrom'aie  Thc  largcst  shipmcuts  will  be  from  the  Gil- 
man  Mines  for  domestic  and  steam-boiler 
purposes.  The  coal  must,  of  course,  come  in 
competition  with  other  coals  which  are  mined 
within  the  basin  of  Puget  Sound,  but  it  has  an 
advantage  over  all  competitors  in  the  ease, 
safety,  and  cheapness  with  which  it  can  be 
mined.  This  will  not,  of  course,  be  realized  for 
the  first  few  months  whilst  driving  the  entries, 


Oilman  Mines. 


WA  SHING  TO.V    TERRITOR  Y. 


193 


but  when  the  mines  shall  have  been  fully  opened  superior  mining 

^        ^  advantages 

1  think  It  will  be  without  rival  in  the  cost  of  °^  "Mines'""^" 
production.  This  will  be  evident  from  the  fol- 
lowing report  made  to  me  by  Mr.  Whitworth, 
showing  the  disadvantages  in  the  mode  of  work- 
ing the  other  mines  of  the  Territory.  The 
terrible  explosion  which  has  lately  occurred  in 
the  deep  mines  of  Vancouver's  Island  shows 
that  the  Canadians  are  also  workinjr  at  a  disad- 
vantage. 

MR.    WHITWORTH's    LETTER. 

Mr.  Whit- 
X        r^      -i  T^  •  1  1    •  11     r        •  1      r  worth's    lesti- 

"  At  Cedar  Kiver  the  coal  is  all  hoisted  from  ^ony. 
a  slope,  and  the  gangways  run  at  right  angles  to 
the  slope,  and  the  '  brests '  at  right  angles  to 
the  gangways,  or  parallel  to  the  slope,  or  nearly 
so.  The  angle  of  the  pitch  is  about  1 8°.  And 
the  cars  are  run  up  to  the  'brests'  to  the  work- 
ing face  of  the  coal,  and  coal  shoveled  into  the 
cars.  A  movable  windlass  or  drum  allows  the 
loaded  car  to  hciul  the  empty  one  up  to  face 
of  coal. 

"  At  Black  Diamond  the  coal  is  all  hoisted 
from  a  slope  ;  gangways  at  right  angles  to 
slope,  and  '  brests '  at  right  angles  to  gangwa}^s, 
and  parallel  to  slope.  This  pitch  is  a  little 
steeper,  about  20°  or  22",  but  not  sufficiently 
steep  for  the  coal  to  run.     Therefore  it  has  to 


194 


WA  SHING  TON    TERR  I  TOR  \ ' 


be  shoveled  down  the  slope  of  the  '  brest,'  or 
the  '  brest '  floor  temporarily  ironed  ;  and  is 
loaded  into  car  from  '  brest '  chute. 

"  Franklyn  has  both  systems,  hoisting  up  a 
slope,  and  working  on  a  water-level  gangway. 
They  have  two  slopes,  one  outside  and  one  in- 
side. This  pitch  is  45°  and  more.  Gangways 
run  on  the  strike  of  veins,  and  '  brests  '  up  the 
pitch.  Coal  runs  freely  on  the  floor  of 
'  brests.' 

"  What  it  costs  now  to  mine  at  Newcastle  I 
do  not  know.  The  cost  of  coal  above  the  water- 
level  gangway  put  into  the  railroad  cars  varies 
from  85  cents  (one  month  only)  to  $1.50  per 
ton  ;  $1.10  about  the  average.  For  the  first  six 
months  I  do  not  think  we  (at  Oilman)  can  cal- 
culate less  than  $1.25  per  ton. 

"The  veins  which  they  work  or  have  worked 
at  Newcastle  are  No.  4 — No.  2,  as  it  is  called, 
which  is  really  Nos.  i  and  2  united — and  Bagley 
vein.  No.  4  is  worked  out  on  two  lifts,  the 
water  level,  and  the  one  below.  The  third  lift 
they  have  not  cross-cut  to  it,  as  the  slope  is  on 
No.  2.  No.  2  is  almost  closed  on  third  lift 
east  of  Coal  Creek.  First  two  lifts,  of  course, 
are  worked  out.  And  west  of  Coal  Creek  the 
working  has  progressed  nearly  to  the  boundary 
of  their  land,  and  passed  the  division  of  the  vein 


M^A  SHING  TON    TERR  I  TOR  Y. 


195 


into  Parts  i  and  2  ;  so  that  they  are  getting  but 
little  coal  out  of  it.  But  most  of  the  coal  comes 
from  Bagley.  Bagley  is  never  worked,  or  but 
slightly,  when  the  others  are  furnishing  plenty 
of  coal.  Bagley  there  consists  of  two  portions  of 
about  seven  feet  each,  with  one  to  two  feet  of 
rock  and  slate  between.  In  the  lower  bench  there 
is  about  four  or  four  and  a  half  feet  of  good  coal ; 
the  rest  is  bony.  And  in  the  upper  bench  there 
is  from  three  to  four  feet  of  good  coal,  and  the 
balance  bony.  When  they  are  pressed  for  coal 
there  is  a  strong  temptation  to  mine  and  ship  the 
entire  fourteen  feet  of  coal,  and  bony  coal,  as  it 
all  looks  quite  well.  This  temptation,  I  know^ 
under  the  old  administration,  was  sometimes 
yielded  to,  and  I  have  supposed  such  was  the 
case  now.  In  fact,  in  getting  that  coal  some 
time  since  for  home  use,  I  have  several  times 
seen  the  straight  Bagley  from  top  to  bottom  in 
the  ton.  No.  2.  The  united  vein  at  its  best 
is  ten  and  a  half  feet,  between  splendid  walls, 
about  one  and  a  half  inch  mining  on  the  bottom, 
and  a  parting  near  the  centre  one  inch  thick. 
That  never  disappeared,  but  increased  both  ways 
until  the  veins  were  finally  separated.  No.  2 
separate  was  about  five  feet  clean,  at  least  with 
no  permanent  partings.  No.  i,  about  four  and 
a  half  feet  of  coal  with  a  three-inch  streak  of 


196  WASHINGTON    TERRITORY. 


fine  clay  eighteen  inches  from  the  top,  the  bal- 
ance clean." 

So  much  from  Mr.  Whitworth. 
Cost  of  mining  Govcmor  Scmple  puts  the  prime  cost  of  the 
coal  of  the  Puget  Sound  basin  generally  at  from 
$2.00  to  $2.30  per  ton,  delivered  at  tide-water  ; 
which  is,  I  suspect,  below  the  fact.  James  F. 
Jones,  in  charge  of  mines  on  the  Northern 
Pacific  Railroad  in  the  Puget  Sound  basin, 
reports  the  cost  per  ton  at  the  mines  delivered 
on  the  cars  as  ranging  from  $1.00  to  $2.50  per 
ton,  averaging  $1.75. 

The  minimum  of  cost  is  reached  when  the 
seams  are  of  good  thickness  and  comparatively 
free  from  slate,  and  can  be  entered  on  the  end 
by  a  level  entry  above  water  and  be  mined  up- 
ward ;  to  which  may  be  added  natural  pitch 
enough  in  the  seams  for  the  coal  to  be  self-load- 
ing;  that  is,  to  run  by  giavity  from  the  upper 
gangways  to  the  cars  on  the  main  entry.  And 
to  these  conditions  may  be  added  a  number  of 
different  parallel  seams  close  together  with  their 
bluff  ends  all  coming  up  to  a  line  in  the  most 
convenient  way  for  entry  and  delivery.  It  is 
rarely  the  case  that  such  an  assemblage  of  favor- 
able conditions  can  be  found,  and  where  they 
exist  the  successful  future  of  the  property  is 
absolutel)^  assured. 


WASHINGTON    TERRITORY. 


197 


In  my  opinion,  the  Oilman  coal  seams  com-  cost  at  oilman 
bine  all  the  advantages  abov^c  mentioned,  and 
if  allowed  ordinary  rates  of  transportation,  can 
always  be  mined  at  a  profit.  As  long  as  the 
Newcastle  seams  could  be  w^orked  above  water- 
level  the  average  cost  per  ton  was  $1.10,  but 
they  never  had  the  same  advantages  there  as 
at  Oilman,  and  most  of  their  mining  has  been 
downward.  $1.00  per  ton  is  certainly  high 
enough  for  Oilman  after  the  entries  are  driven 
in  sufficiently  for  large  operations.  If  Mr. 
Whitworth  succeeds  in  putting  out  the  coal  at 
$1.25  for  the  first  six  months,  as  he  thinks  he 
can,  there  need  be  no  fear  as  to  the  future. 

The  selling  price  of  coal  on  Puget  Sound  has  Prkes  of  coai. 
ranged  from  $3.00  to  $5.00  a  long  ton  in 
former  years,  averaging  $4.00 — the  price  being 
the  same  for  the  product  of  all  the  different 
mines.  Mr.  Whitworth  reports  the  price  this 
winter  at  $6.50  a  ton  for  all  (including  New- 
castle), except  Cedar  River,  which  is  $5.00. 
The  distances  from  Puget  Sound  to  Portland 
and  to  San  Francisco,  the  principal  markets,  are : 
to  San  Francisco,  between  800  and  900  miles  by 
water;  to  Portland,  450  by  water,  and  150  by 
rail.  There  is  now  rail  connection  all  the  way 
to  San  Francisco.  The  average  cost  of  send- 
ing: coal  to  San  Francisco,  either  from  Puget 


198  WASHINGTON    TERRITORY. 

Sound  or  Vancouver's  Island,  is  $2.00.  The 
usual  price  in  San  Francisco  and  Portland  has 
been  from  $4.25  to  $6.00  for  coarse,  and  from 
$2.75  to  $3.75  for  small.  On  the  ist  of  Feb- 
ruary, 1888,  the  cargo  price  in  San  Francisco 
was — for  Coos  Bay  coal,  $9.50;  Seattle  coal, 
$10;  South  Prairie,  $10;  Nanaimo  (domestic), 
$10;  Nanaimo  (steam),  $12;  Lehigh,  $18; 
Cumberland,  $12. 

These  figures  make  it  evident  that  a  good 
margin  of  profit  may  be  calculated  on  from  the 
Oilman  coal.  Mr.  Whitworth  will  not  be  able 
to  get  his  bunkers  up  until  he  has  his  road  in 
operation  to  the  mines ;  but,  with  temporary 
chutes,  he  can  load  100  tons  a  day  from  the 
time  the  road  opens,  say  March  15th.  In  six 
weeks  after  beginning  he  expects  to  increase 
to  300  tons  a  day,  and  one  month  later  he  can 
make  the  output  600  tons  a  day.  As  the  head- 
ings are  driven  in  the  product  can  be  increased 
to  almost  any  desired  amount. 

The  Washington  Mines,  on  Squak  Creek,  I 
did  not  see ;  and  concerning  the  Raging  River 
Mines  I  have  no  settled  convictions.  As  to 
the  coking  coal  on  Snoqualmie  Mountain,  we 
may  expect  important  developments.  Un- 
doubtedly the  new  road  will  promptly  enter 
upon  a  large  and  increasing  coal  business. 


WASHINGTON    TERRITORY. 


199 


IRON    ORE. 

The  question  here  respecting  iron  ores  along 
this  road  is  not  as  to  their  quantity,  or  quahty, 
or  as  to  their  utiHzation,  but  only  as  to  what 
road  or  roads  will  handle  the  business  that  will 
arise  from  this  source.  Naturally  the  bulk  of 
it  belongs  to  the  Seattle,  Lake  Shore  and  East- 
ern Railway,  and  at  one  time  there  seemed  to 
be  no  doubt  that  large  iron-works  would  at  once 
be  established  at  Salal  Prairie  by  the  Moss  Bay 
Company,  of  England ;  but  the  east  shore  of 
Lake  Washington  has  finally  been  settled  upon 
for  the  great  plant  of  this  wealthy  company ; 
which  of  itself  will  go  far  to  establish  the  natu- 
ral monopoly  which  the  Lake  Shore  Railway 
seems  to  have  of  the  ores  on  the  west  side  of 
Cascade  Mountains.  And  in  regard  to  the 
magnetic  ores  generally,  this  road,  from  its  loca- 
tion, would  seem  to  be  master  of  the  situation. 
All  the  iron  ore  on  the  west  side  of  the  moun- 
tain is  owned  by  men  whose  interests  are  iden- 
tified with  Seattle,  and  with  this  line  of  railroad. 
The  best  point  for  manufacture  in  itself  consid- 
ered, the  best  chance  for  fuel,  the  best  line  for 
transportation,  the  best  point  for  trading  and  for 
shipment,  are  all  on  the  line  of  the  Seattle  Rail- 
way.   Good  furnace  sites  may  be  found  at  man)' 


Handling  the 
iron  ores. 


Furnace  sites 


200 


IV A  SHING  TON    TERR  I  TOR  V 


Salal  Prairie. 


Charcoal  cheap- 
ly produced. 


points,  but  Salal  Prairie  is  a  spot  which  seems 
to  have  been  set  apart  by  nature  for  a  manu- 
facturing town.  It  lies  near  the  intersection  of 
the  valleys  of  the  South  Fork  and  Middle 
Fork  branches  of  Snoqualmie  River,  is  about 
six  miles  long  and  three  miles  wide,  is  Hat,  dry, 
salubrious,  and  well  supplied  with  water.  It 
has  a  natural  outlet  to  the  South,  as  well  as  to 
the  east  and  west,  is  convenient  to  the  iron  ore 
and  limestone  of  both  the  Middle  and  South 
Fork,  and  not  far  distant  from  the  ores  of  Cle- 
ellum.  It  is  less  than  ten  miles  from  Snoqual- 
mie coking  coal,  and  fifteen  miles  from  the 
Green  River  coals.  And,  what  I  think  is  a  still 
better  resource  for  fuel,  it  is  in  the  midst  of  the 
great  Snoqualmie  forests,  where  saw-mills  will 
soon  be  felling  the  timber,  and  providing  an 
endless  supply  of  slabs  and  refuse  tree-tops, 
from  which  charcoal  could  be  manufactured  at 
very  small  expense. 

It  is  well  known  that  charcoal  is  the  best  of 
all  fuels  for  making  iron,  because  of  its  freedom 
from  damaging  impurities.  Its  expcnsiveness 
generally  prevents  its  being  much  used  now,  but 
here  the  cost  need  not  exceed  five  cents  per 
bushel,  and  lOO  to  120  bushels  would  suffice  for 
a  ton  of  iron.  The  only  question  concerning  the 
charcoal  made  from  fir  timber  is  as  to  its  ability 


WASHINGTON    TERRITORY.  20I 

to  bear  the  burden  in  a  tall  stack.  It  is  becom- 
ing common  now  to  utilize  the  by-products  of 
wood,  formed  during  its  conversion  into  char- 
coal, by  a  process  which  makes  the  charcoal 
stronger.  But  all  difficulty  on  this  point  can 
be  relieved  by  conforming  the  size  of  the  fur- 
nace-stack to  the  strength  of  the  charcoal.  .  This 
is  the  only  fuel  which  has  ever  been  used  on  the 
Pacific  coast  for  the  smelting  of  iron  ores. 
These  enterprises  have  not  been  particularly 
successful  thus  far,  rather  because  of  the  inferior 
quality  of  the  ore,  than  from  any  defect  in  the 
fuel.  The  bog  ore  and  the  limonites  which 
were  used  at  Irondale,  near  the  Canada  line, 
and  at  Oswego  on  the  Willamette,  were  gen- 
erally low  in  iron  and  high  in  phosphorus,  and 
the  bog  ores  were  soon  exhausted. 

At  Irondale,  near  Port  Townsend,  recourse  charcoal' to  the 

ton  of  iron. 

has  been  had  to  a  refractory  ore  obtained  on 
Texada  Island,  in  Victoria  Sound,  on  which  a 
duty  of  seventy-five  cents  a  ton  has  to  be  paid, 
and  which  requires  a  large  amount  of  fuel  for 
smelting  it,  perhaps  as  much  as  150  bushels  of 
charcoal.  But  Mr.  H.  T.  Blanchard,  who  is 
interested  in  the  Irondale  Works,  says  in  a  late 
letter  (November  29,  1887)  : 

"  It  is  perfectly  safe  to  rate  charcoal  at  six 
cents  per  bushel,  and  the  quantity  necessary  to 


102  WASHINGTON    TERRITORY 


make  a  ton  of  pig-metal  not  to  exceed  120 
bushels,  with  a  good  chance  of  getting  it  down 
to  ninety  bushels  per  ton  with  fair  ores." 

The  iron  ores  of  the  Cascade  Mountains  will 
be  taken  to  some  extent  to  mix  with  the  in- 
ferior  ores    near   the   coast,   but   they   will    be 
chiefly  worked  into  Bessemer-pig  and  steel  rails. 
Bessemer  ores    Stccl-making  orcs  arc  not  common  anywhere, 

commonly      dis-  ,  •Jl  t.      \    £  riU'U  1 

tani  from  fuel,  aud  arc  widcly  separated  from  luel,  which  makes 
them  very  costly  in  the  States  east  of  the  Rocky 
Mountains.  This  well-known  fact  is  alluded  to 
by  Mr.  Swank,  in  his  report  on  the  Iron  Trade 
of  1886,  in  the  following  words: 

"It  is  also  a  fact  worthy  of  notice,  for  which 
geologists  may  find  a  reason,  that  nowhere  in 
this  country  are  our  best  steel-making  ores  found 
in  proximity  to  mineral  fuel,  either  anthracite  or 
bituminous,  while  in  some  parts  of  the  Lake  Su- 
perior region,  even  timber  suitable  for  the  man- 
ufacture of  charcoal  is  almost  wholly  wanting." 

The  most  important  deposits  of  steel  ores  in 
the  United  States  are  on  Lake  Superior  and  in 
Missouri ;  but  these  ores  are  smelted  chiefly  by 
the  Connellsville  coke  of  Pennsylvania,  which 
is  700  to  800  miles  distant.  The  Cranberry 
ores  of  North  Carolina  are  some  hundreds  of 
miles  from  fuel.  A  late  number  of  the  Iron 
Trade    Review    quotes    the    prices    of    ore    at 


WASHINGTON   TERRITORY. 


203 


Cleveland,  Ohio,  the  principal  receivins:  point     High  cost  of 

*  '  01  I^ke    Superior 

of  Lake  Superior  ores,  as  follows  :  °'"- 

Specular  and  Magnetic  Bessemer,  per  ton     $7.00  to  $7.50 
Bessemer  Hematites  "  5.75  to    6.70 

The  same  authority  gives  the  cost  of  the  ore 
and  coke  necessary  for  the  production  of  a  ton 
of  iron  in  Mahoning  Valley  district,  at  $9.90  for  cost  of  produc- 
the  ore  and  $4.50  for  the  coke  =  $14.40.  To  Pennsylvania. 
this  must  be  added  about  $4.25  for  flux,  labor, 
management,  interest  and  repairs,  making  a 
total  of  $18.65  as  the  cost  of  producing  one 
ton  of  pig-metal. 

Thus  the  superior  advantages  of  the  Sno-  costofBesse- 
qualmie  Valley  are  readily  seen.  Here  are  snJ^uaimfeVai- 
steel  ores,  two  kinds  of  fuel,  and  the  limestone 
in  close  proximity.  Putting  the  fuel  at  more 
than  I  think  it  would  cost ;  putting  the  cost  of 
mining  the  ore  at  the  maximum  cost  at  Cran- 
berry, N.  C,  and  freight  at  double  price,  and 
we  have  as  the  cost  of  a  ton  of  Bessemer-pig, 
as  follows : 

Ore $3  00 

Fuel           ......  6  00 

Flux 50 

Labor  and  management     .         .         .  2  00 

Interest  and  repairs       .         .         .         .  i  50 

$13  00 


204 


IV J  SrriNG  TON    TERRI  TOR  Y. 


I-arge  market 
for  steel   rails. 


This  is  lower  than  the  present  cost  of  produc- 
ing Bessemer-pig  anywhere  in  the  United  States, 
according  to  the  best  of  my  information  ;  and  at 
the  same  time  the  market  is  better.  The  de- 
mand for  steel  rails  in  the  Rocky  Mountain 
country  and  in  the  Pacific  States  is,  and  will 
be,  large  and  permanent,  while  the  demand  in 
China  and  otiier  foreign  countries  will  con- 
stantly increase.  And  so  will  it  be  with  ma- 
chinery and  tools  of  all  kinds,  agricultural,  min- 
ing and  manufacturing.  This  demand  will  be 
both  domestic  and  foreign,  and  constantly  en- 
larging. And  it  may  be  safely  asserted  that  no 
railroad  exists,  or  can  be  built  anywhere  in  the 
Pacific  States,  which  will  compare  with  the 
Seattle,  Lake  Shore  and  Eastern  Railway  in 
its  control  of  the  iron  business. 


THE   OTHER    MINERALS. 

I  have  already  said  so  much  as  to  the  con- 
Limestone,  venience  and  excellence  of  the  limestone  beds 
associated  with  the  magnetic  ores,  that  I  will 
only  allude  to  them  here  as  constituting  the 
great  resource  for  furnace-flux,  for  building- 
stone,  for  lime,  and  for  monumental  and  orna- 
"^^tLndstones,"^'  mcutal  marblc.  This  will  be  an  important  item 
for  transportation.  The  granite,  also,  will  be 
wanted    for    building,   and    for   paving  blocks. 


slates. 


WASHINGTON    TERRITORY.  205 


There  are,  no  doubt,  quartzites,  sandstones  and 
slates  which  will  be  in  request ;  some  for  the 
supply  of  silica  needed  for  tempering  fire-clay 
(which  latter  is  reported  to  have  been  found  on 
Cedar  River  in  large  quantity  and  of  good 
quality)  ;  some  for  road  metal ;  some  for  pav- 
ing ;  some  for  building. 

In  this  group,  howev^er,  the  great  resource  is 
in   the   ores  of  the  precious  and   base   metals,       Predous 

I'll  r     1 1         1  •  1  ^""^  \y^^e.  metals. 

which  have  been  fully  described  under  a  former 
head.  Too  little  is  known  of  the  silver  and 
lead  and  gold  ores  of  the  Snoqualmie  Valley  to 
lay  much  stress  upon  them.  The  indications 
do  not  justify  us  in  ranking  them  with  the  ores 
of  the  Columbia  Valley. 

The  gold  placer  mining  of  the  Yakima  coun- 
try makes  no  large  show  so  far.  The  silver, 
lead  and  copper  ores,  described  by  Mr.  Burch, 
may  develop  largely,  but  as  yet  no  calculations 
can  be  made  as  to  their  value  in  supj)lying  ton- 
nage. This  field  ranks  with  the  Wenatchie, 
Chelan,  and  Methow  regions,  being  undevel- 
oped, and  yet  so  full  of  promise  as  to  deserve 
careful  attention. 

The  mines  of   the   Okinagane  and   Colville  o'''^,fif^"^'=^d^°'- 
regions  promise  large  results.     All  this  mineral      •^""''•"ai- 
region,  up  to  and  including  the  Okinagane,  lies 
fairly  within  the  patronage  ground  of  the  Se- 


2o6  WASHINGTON   TERRITORY. 

attle  Railway  as  it  pursues  its  course  to  Spo- 
kane Falls.  The  Colville  and  Coeur  d'Alene, 
to  which  may  now  be  added  the  Kootenai, 
mining  regions,  constitute  a  large  area  lying 
north  and  east  of  Spokane  Falls,  and  offer 
themselves  as  possible  routes  for  the  Manitoba 
Railway,  but  chiefly  as  tempting  fields  for  rail- 
road enterprises.  The  city  of  Spokane  Falls  is 
deeply  interested  in  bringing  in  the  trade  of 
these  growing  mines,  and  the  Seattle  Railway 
corporation  may  wisely  consider  the  prizes  here 
offered. 

coear  d'Alene.  Rallroad  buildlng  has  begun  in  the  Coeur 
d'Alene  country.  The  Cceur  d'Alene  Railway 
and  Navigation  Company  have  constructed  a 
narrow-gauge  road  from  the  Old  Mission,  near 

Transportation    thc  junctiou  of  thc  uorth  aud  south  forks  of  the 

lines  to  the 

mining  regions.  CoBur  d'Alcuc  Rlvcr,  a  distance  of  about  thirty- 
five  miles.  The  tonnage  is  said  to  be  much 
greater  than  this  narrow-gauge  can  handle  at 
present. 

From  the  Old  Mission,  which  is  now  the  ter- 
minus of  the  narrow-gauge  road,  the  ores  are 
taken  by  steamboat  and  barges  down  the  Coeur 
d'Alene  River,  and  up  the  lake  to  Fort  Coeur 
d'Alene,  where  connection  is  made  with  the 
Spokane  Falls  and  Idaho  Railroad,  running 
from  Fort  Coeur  d'Alene  to   Hauser  Junction, 


WASHINGTON   TERRITORY.  207 

on  the  main  line  of  the  Northern  Pacific  Rail- 
way. This  arrangement  enables  the  mines  to 
send  out  and  bring  in  their  freight,  but  it  is  not 
satisfactory.  There  seems  to  be  an  opening  for 
a  line  from  Spokane  Falls  directly  into  that 
country.  It  would  cost  $20,000  a  mile,  by  Mr. 
Mohr's  calculation,  and  would  be  seventy-fiv^e 
miles  long.  If,  however,  it  be  true,  as  reported, 
that  the  Northern  Pacific  Railroad  will  make  a 
cut-off  from  Missoula  across  the  Coeur  d'Alene 
Mountains,  this  field  will  be  occupied  ;  which, 
however,  is  not  probable. 

TheChewelah,Colville,  Summit,  Metalline  and 
Kootenai  mining  districts  could  all  be  reached 
by  a  line  from  Spokane  Falls  by  way  of  Colville 
and  Little  Dalles.  And  by  running  a  spur 
from  Colville  to  a  point  below  Kettle  Falls  on 
the  Columbia  River,  control  could  be  gained, 
first,  of  the  navigation  between  Mahkin  Rapids 
and  Kettle  Falls,  and  also  the  long  stretch  of 
navigable  river  from  the  Little  Dalles  to  Death 
Rapids  in  Canada,  crossing  the  Canadian  Pacific 
Railroad  at  Farwell.  It  is  calculated  that  750 
miles  of  navigation  would  thus  be  opened  by 
the  addition  of  a  piece  of  track  twenty-five  miles 
lonsf,  connectiniT  the  Kootenai  River  with  Ar- 
rowhead  Lake. 

A  new  discovery  of  silver-lead  ores,  made  on 


2o8  WASHINGTON   TERRITORY. 

the  Kootenai  Outlet  River,  is  making  a  great 
stir  just  now.  The  hody  of  ore  is  said  to  be 
the  largest  yet  discovered.  We  shall  expect 
the  Manitoba  people  to  be  looking  into  this 
development.  There  is  also  some  talk  of  the 
mining  region  on  both  sides  of  Kettle  River, 
near  the  Canada  line.  The  Pend  d'Oreille  dis- 
trict is  also  promising.  All  this  is  suggested  as 
food  for  thought  and  investigation. 


CITIES  AND  TOWNS. 

The  location  of  Port  Townsend  puts  that 
town  out  of  the  general  competition.  The 
same  is  true  of  Olympia.  Whatcom,  or  some 
possible  town  near  the  line  between  Whatcom 
and  Skagit  counties,  might  grow  into  conse- 
quence if  made  the  terminus  of  some  trans- 
continental road.  This  point,  however,  is  in- 
volved in  the  larger  question  of  the  course  of 
the  Manitoba  Railroad.  With  the  present  out- 
look, the  only  two  competing  towns  on  Puget      The  oniy 

f-i  1  <T->  1      r-<  1  /T"!  r  competition  is 

Sound  are  Tacoma  and  Seattle.  The  former  ^between 
has  the  advantage  of  being  the  terminus  of  the 
Northern  Pacific  Railroad,  and  of  having  large 
private  capital  to  advance  its  interests.  These 
have  made  the  town  all  that  it  is.  It  is  hand- 
somely laid  out,  and  well  built.  It  has  an  ele- 
gant hotel,  and  a  population  said  in  Tacoma  to 
be  i2,ooo,  and  in  Seattle  to  be  7,500.  The  har- 
bor has  water  enough,  but  the  landing  is  bad  ; 
there  being  no  level  gi-ound  available  for  wharves 
or  business  houses  near  the  water.  A  mere 
roadway,  cut  out  of  the  high  bluff,  furnishes  the 
only  line  of  communication.     The  town  is  one 


Tacoma  and 
Seattle. 


2IO  WASHINGTON    TERRITORY. 

to  two  hundred  feet  above  the  water  and  above 
the  main  raih'oad  depot,  and  must  be  reached 
by  a  long,  steep  road.  Tacoma  is  twenty-six 
miles  farther  from  the  sea  than  Seattle,  has  a 
back  country  of  inferior  resources,  and  has  no 
advantage  in  distances  from  the  East. 
Advantages  of        Scattlc  has  alrcadv  been  described.     It  has 

Seattle.  ■' 

probably  double  the  population  of  Tacoma,  and 
more  than  double  the  business.  It  has  flat 
ground  enough  for  commercial  purposes.  In 
its  position,  its  harbor,  its  relations  to  the  back 
country,  its  materials  for  trade,  commerce, 
manufactures,  its  present  and  prospective  rail- 
road connections,  it  surpasses  all  present  and 
future  competitors  on  Puget  Sound. 

There  will  be  mining  and  trading  towns  at 
numerous   points   between    Seattle   and    Salal 
Prairie. 
Towns  of  East       Thc  towus  ou  thc  cast  flank  of  the  Cascade 

Washington. 

Mountains  may  have  a  future;  i.  e.,  Cle-ellum, 
EUensburg,  and  North  Yakima.  They  have  a 
chance  for  the  State  capital,  and  there  may  be 
manufacturing  as  well  as  mining  towns  near  the 
iron  ore,  and  other  mineral  beds.  Small  places 
will  also  spring  up  at  the  mouth  of  the  Wen- 
atchie  and  the  Okinagane,  and  at  the  termini 
of  the  steamboat  landings. 

The  county  seat  of   Lincoln  cannot  remain 


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WASHINGTON   TERRITORY. 


2  I  I 


at  Sprague.  Wheatland  would  have  a  chance 
for  that. 

Assuming  that  Spokane  Falls  is  the  objective 
point  of  the  Seattle  Railway,  I  will  give  a 
somewhat  full  account  of  this  thriving  young 
city.  In  1882  it  had  700  inhabitants ;  in  1887 
it  had  over  7,000.  In  1883  the  Northern 
Pacific  Railroad  reached  there,  and  since  that 
date  the  town  has  grown  continuously.  It  will 
be  a  large  city,  as  will  be  obvious  if  its  advan- 
tages be  considered.  These  are  chiefly  :  I.  Its 
water-power;  II.  Its  agricultural  relations; 
III.  Its  mining  surroundings ;  IV.  Its  railroad 
prospects ;   V.  Its  good  ground  for  building. 

I.  Its  Water-power. — The  value  of  this 
water-power  arises  partly  from  the  volume  of 
water  and  its  great  fall,  and  also  its  uniformity, 
and  its  freedom  from  disturbing  causes.  The 
river  falls  in  a  succession  of  cascades  amount- 
ing to  156  feet  within  the  limits  of  the  city. 
Mr.  Paul  F.  Mohr  has  published  an  intelligent 
article  on  the  subject,  from  which  I  quote  the 
following  statements : 

"To  arrive  at  the  available  number  of  horse- 
power which  the  Spokane  River  could  furnish 
at  this  point,  assuming  90,000  horse-power  as 
the  gross  power  of  the  river,  and  deducting  60 
per  cent,  therefrom,  would  leave  36,000  horse- 


Spokane  Falls 

and  its 
fine  prospects. 


Mr.  Paul  F. 
Mohr's  article. 


212  WASHINGTON    TERRITORY. 

power  as  a  most  conservative  and  minimum 
estimate. 

"The  City  of  Minneapolis  used  in  1880,  as 
nearly  as  I  can  ascertain,  about  20,000  horse- 
power, and  Minneapolis  is  probably  the  largest 
flour-milling  point  in  the  world. 

"The  industries  requiring  most  power  are,  in 
their  order,  as  follows :  lumber,  flour,  iron  and 
steel,  paper,  woolen  goods  and  worsted  goods, 
with  several  industries  consuming  a  compara- 
tively small  amount  of  power,  not  necessary  to 
mention.  Of  the  industries  above  named,  all 
but  the  iron  and  steel  industries  can  be  followed 
at  this  point,  and,  in  fact,  the  flouring,  paper 
and  woolen  industries  belong  to  this  section  of 
the  country." 

It  is  claimed  that  the  Spokane  River  at  the 
falls  never  rises  more  than  six  feet,  and  never 
freezes.  The  river  here  has  cut  so  deeply  into 
the  basalt,  that  there  must  be  combination 
among  the  riparian  owners  in  order  to  draw  the 
water  to  good  mill  sites,  and  invite  manufac- 
turers to  use  the  power.     Mr.  Mohr  urges  this. 

Two  flour-mills  are  now  there  turning  out 
about  450  barrels  of  flour  a  day ;  also  saw-mills, 
and,  I  think,  a  dynamo  for  electric  lights,  etc.; 
but,  of  course,  these  use  but  a  small  part  of  the 
power,  which,  if  fully  utilized,  in  such  ways  as 


WA  S//LVG  TO  A'    TERR  I  TOR  Y. 


213 


are  suggested    by    Mr.   Mohr,  would  of    itself 
create  a  large  city. 

II.  Agricultural  Relations.  —  Spokane 
Falls  has  a  promising  agricultural  country  on 
all  sides.  The  Pend  d'Oreille  region  has  good 
agricultural  capabilities,  though  the  best  lands 
there  are  in  the  Indian  reservation. 

The  country  north  of  Spokane  Falls,  in  the 
direction  of  Colville,  is  spoken  of  as  a  fertile 
valley,  having  more  rain  than  the  plateau  coun- 
try, much  of  it  limestone  soil,  specially  produc- 
tive in  hay  and  wheat.  The  wheat  is  harder 
than  the  plateau  wheat,  and  contains  a  larger 
proportion  of  gluten  ;  hence  it  is  desired  as  a 
mixture  for  the  wheat  that  is  usually  brought  to 
the  Spokane  Falls  mills. 

Turning  to  the  great  plateau,  we  find  that  the 
rich  Palouse  River  country,  since  the  construc- 
tion of  the  Spokane  Falls  and  Palouse  Railroad 
finds  its  readiest  market  at  Spokane  Falls.  And 
now  that  the  Seattle,  Lake  Shore  and  Eastern 
Railroad  is  striking  out  through  the  Great 
Bend,  another  portion  of  this  great  producing 
region  will  be  brought  within  easy  reach. 

III.  Mining  Interests. — I  need  here  only 
refer  to  the  fact  that  Spokane  Falls  is  situated 
centrally  with  regard  to  the  mines  of  precious 
and    base    metals    heretofore   described.      Evi- 


2  14  WASHINGTON    TERRITORY. 

dently  the  business  from  the  mines  of  Che- 
welah,  Colville,  Little  Dalles,  Kootenai,  etc., 
must  come  here  except  so  far  as  it  may  be  di- 
verted to  a  tide-water  city  which  would  smelt 
their  ores  and  sell  them  goods.  No  doubt  the 
Canadian  Pacific  will  handle  some  of  the  busi- 
ness of  the  Kootenai  mines.  Similar  remarks 
may  be  made  with  regard  to  the  mines  of  the 
Coeur  d'Alene  country,  with  the  qualification 
that  a  road  crossing  the  mountain,  say  to  Mis- 
soula, would  divert  some  of  the  trade  to  Helena 
or  Butte  City. 

The  miners  of  Okanogan,  Methow,  etc., 
would  be  nearest  to  Spokane  Falls,  but  would 
be  loo  or  150  miles  on  the  way  to  Puget 
Sound,  which  would  divide  the  trade. 

IV.  Railroad  Prospects. — The  Northern 
Pacific  Railroad,  a  transcontinental  line,  already 
passes  through  Spokane  Falls.  If  the  cut-off 
through  the  Coeur  d'Alene  country  should  be 
made,  it  would  be  equivalent  to  an  additional 
road.  The  Spokane  Falls  and  Palouse  Railway 
joins  the  Northern  Pacific  at  Marshall,  only 
nine  miles  from  the  city,  and  its  general  course 
points  directly  toward  it. 

The  road  across  the  Great  Bend  has  been 
commenced.  The  road  to  Colville,  Little  Dalles, 
etc.,  will  inevitably  be  made  at  an  early  day. 


IV A  SHING  TON    TERR  I  TOR  V. 


215 


This  would  make  it  really  the  centre  of  six 
roads,  counting  the  Northern  Pacific  as  two. 

V.  Building  Grounds. — The  city  is  built 
and  building  on  both  sides  of  the  river,  and 
stands  on  a  level,  dry,  gravelly  plain,  a  mile  or 
more  in  width,  rising  into  wooded  hills.  In 
other  words,  it  has  all  that  can  be  desired  for 
situation. 

Sprague,  Colfax,  and  Lewiston  claim  atten-  sprague,coifai, 

...  ,  .  .  and  I.ewistoD. 

tion  as  mdicatmg  the  pomts  m  a  proposed 
branch  line  of  railroad,  leaving  the  Seattle, 
Lake  Shore  and  Eastern  Railway  somewhere 
in  the  Great  Bend  country. 

Shops  of  the  Northern  Pacific  Railroad  are 
in  Sprague,  which  fact  is  an  endorsement  of  the 
locality.  Its  population  is  over  1,500.  The 
town  standing  in  a  coulee,  there  are  no  indica- 
tions of  fertility  of  soil  in  sight.  Here  the  tim- 
ber belts  seem  to  end,  and  no  trees  are  seen 
for  100  miles  eastward.  It  occupies  an  inter- 
mediate position  between  the  great  wheat  areas 
of  Whitman  County  on  the  south  and  of  Lin- 
coln on  the  north.  Stage  lines  leave  here  for 
Colfax  (south)  and  for  Davenport  and  other 
towns  in  the  Great  Bend  (north),  and  also  for 
the  Okanogan  mines. 

Colfax  is  about  forty  miles  southwest  from 
Sprague.     It    is   on    the    Palouse   River,   in    a 


2l6  WASHINGTON   TERRITORY. 

narrow  valley  where  there  is  scarcely  room  for 
a  town.  The  bordering  hills  are  steep ;  the 
surrounding  country  is  some  400  or  500  feet 
higher  than  the  town.  It  is  claimed,  however, 
that  there  are  good  grades  to  be  had  for  rail- 
roads going  in  any  direction.  The  town  has 
a  population  of  1,800  to  2,000,  and  is  evidently 
prosperous.  It  has  water-power  and  wheat- 
mills.  The  railroad  agent  in  the  town  says  that 
his  cash  receipts  for  freight  average  $1,200  a 
day.  Knapp,  Burrell  &  Co.  told  me  that  they 
brought  in  672  carloads  of  freight  annually  in 
the  regular  course  of  their  business.  I  felt 
surprised  at  the  statement.  This  firm  does  a 
farmers'  business  in  barbed  wire,  wagons,  all 
sorts  of  agricultural  machinery  and  implements, 
grain-bags,  etc.,  etc. 

Mr.  Hamilton  imports  groceries  to  the  amount 
of  $75,000.  Coal  is  $12.00  a  ton.  Lumber  is 
scarce  and  high,  and  freights  enormous.  A  citi- 
zen told  me  that  he  had  paid  $64.30  freight  from 
Portland  on  a  lot  of  lumber  that  cost  $34.90  in 
that  city.  Another  marvelous  story  was  that  a 
citizen  paid  $5.00  a  ton  for  coal  in  St.  Paul  and 
$20.00  a  ton  to  bring  it  to  Colfax. 
cSfax'co"u'n'Jry.  ^"^  asklug  about  thc  surrounding  country,  I 
made  the  following  notes  :  One-half  the  country 
is  arable.     The  non-arable  land   is   grazed  by 


WA  SHING  TOX    TERR  I  TOR  Y. 


217 


horses,  sheep  and  cattle.  Wool,  an  important 
item.  Of  the  arable  land,  one-tenth  is  under 
the  plough ;  of  this,  three-fourths  is  put  in 
wheat,  and  one-fourth  in  oats  and  barley — more 
barley  than  oats.  Very  fine  root  crops.  Aver- 
age of  wheat,  30  bushels  per  acre ;  oats,  50  to 
60  bushels.  Price  of  wheat,  45  cents ;  freight 
to  Portland,  20  cents,  making  $6.60  a  ton. 
Peaches  mature.  Can  raise  corn,  but  it  does  not 
pay  to  shuck  it.  There  is  a  continuous  wheat 
area  of  70  townships,  equal  to  2,520  square 
miles,  taking  in  a  little  of  Idaho, 

Lewiston,  in  Idaho,  came  into  being  during 
the  days  of  placer  mining,  and  now  depends  on 
agricultural  business.  It  has  about  1,000  people, 
and  may  become  important  by  reason  of  its 
location  at  the  junction  of  the  Clearwater  and 
Snake  rivers.  The  transcontinental  line  that 
may  some  day  be  built  through  Wyoming 
might  pass  through  Lewiston. 

Walla  Walla  is  the  oldest,  and  was  long  re- 
garded the  best  of  all  the  towns  of  East  Wash- 
ington. It  is  beautifully  situated  in  a  fertile 
country ;  has  about  5,000  inhabitants ;  is  well 
laid  off  and  built,  and  has  a  more  staid  and  set- 
tled population  than  any  other  town  there.  This 
is  true,  also,  of  the  farming  population  around 
Walla  Walla,  many  of  whom  have  comfortable 


Lewistown. 


Walla  Wal!a. 


2l8  WASHINGTON    TERRITORY. 

homes.  The  town  has  some  water-mills;  and 
an  astonishing  amount  of  "  truck  "  is  raised  and 
shipped  in  this  neighborhood.  The  city  has 
not  grown  much  of  late,  and,  except  its  agricul- 
tural surroundings,  there  is  nothing  especially  to 
give  it  prosperity. 

BRANCHES   AND    ROUTES    FOR   THE    SEATTLE,   LAKE 
SHORE  AND   EASTERN   RAILWAY. 

Railroad  Thc    buiMing;  of   the  West    Coast  Railroad 

branches.  *-> 

will  be  a  happy  circumstance  for  the  Lake 
Shore  road.  Skagit  County,  and  especially 
Whatcom  County,  have  large  resources,  and 
the  preoccupation  of  this  ground  may  discour- 
age other  parties  from  any  attempt  to  build 
up  a  commercial  city  on  Bellingham  Bay.  A 
branch  from  the  Northern  Pacific  at  the  Com- 
mon Point  to  Salal  Prairie  would  not  hurt,  and 
might  help  the  Seattle,  Lake  Shore  and  Eastern 
road. 

Besides  the  short  spurs  to  the  mines  on  the 
west  side  of  the  Cascade  Mountains,  there  may 
be  needed  branches  up  Cle-ellum,  and  other 
rivers,  to  mines.  I  cannot  see  the  wisdom  of 
a  branch  to  the  Walla  Walla  country,  which 
could  be  reached  only  by  paralleling  the  North- 
ern Pacific  down  the  Yakima  River,  or  else  by 
striking  off  in  the  Great  Bend,  and  crossing  the 


WA  SHING  TON    TERR  I  TOR  V. 


219 


Northern  Pacific  and  its  Palouse  branch,  and 
then  Snake  River,  to  reach  a  country  already 
occupied  by  the  Oregon  Railway  and  Naviga- 
tion Company,  and  lying  over  100  miles  nearer 
to  the  tidal  market  along  a  down  grade,  than  by 
the  Seattle  road  with  its  mountain  crossing. 

A   branch    into  the   Palouse  country  would     The  Paiouse 

■'  country. 

have  more  to  recommend  it.  It  is  nearer,  and 
competition  will  be  on  more  equal  terms.  There 
are  now  three  railroads  in  the  Palouse  country : 
namely,  the  Oregon  Railway  and  Navigation 
Company's  road  from  Palouse  Junction  to 
Moscow,  Idaho,  passing  through  Colfax ;  the 
Farmington  branch  of  this  road,  from  Colfax 
to  Farmington,  and  the  Spokane  and  Palouse, 
which  runs  from  Marshall,  on  the  Northern 
Pacific,  to  Genesee.  But  a  road  passing 
through  Sprague  and  Colfax  to  Lewiston 
would  cross  some  rich,  unoccupied  territory, 
and  everywhere  would  compete  for  business  on 
fair  terms. 

Whilst  I  was  in  Colfax,  at  my  suggestion,  the 
town  was  canvassed  as  to  the  annual  amount  of 
its  freight.  The  aggregate  amount  paid  by  fif- 
teen firms  reached  $200,000,  and  the  balance 
was  estimated  at  $25,000,  making  $225,000. 
Five  firms  claimed  to  handle  annually  2,075,000 
bushels  of  wheat,  making  62,250  tons.     These 


2  20  WASHINGTON    TERRITORY. 

figures   seem    large   for   so   small    a   place   as 
Colfax. 

The  length  of  this  branch  would,  of  course, 
be  affected  by  the  location  of  the  main  Hne 
across  Great  Bend.  If  the  main  line  should 
take  the  route  preferred  by  Mr.  Mohr,  Wheat- 
land would  probably  be  the  nearest  starting- 
point.  This  would  be  all  the  better  for  Spo- 
kane Falls ;  but  for  the  long  haul  to  Puget 
Sound,  it  would  seem  to  be  more  desirable  for 
the  junction  to  be  farther  west. 
Arguments  for       To  my  mind,  the  chief  arsruments  for  build- 

the  Polouse         .  ,     -^  ^  , 

branch.  jng  this  branch  are,  first,  that  it  would  be  a 
start  for  the  transcontinental  road  across  Wyo- 
ming and  Nebraska,  and  then,  so  to  speak,  it 
would  be  stretching  out  one  wing  of  the  bat 
with  a  view  to  catching  the  Manitoba  bug. 

The  other  wing  of  the  bat  would  be  the  Col- 
ville  branch.  The  eccentric  bug  would  inevit- 
ably hit  one  or  other  of  these  wings,  and  when 
once  caught,  would  be  held. 
^'^"i-oa'd^ '^'''  Concerning  these  Manitoba  people,  we  may 
assume  that  they  will  think  with  regard  to  the 
routes  according  to  the  facts  of  nature.  The 
direct  line  across  the  Kootenai  country  would 
strike  the  Colville  branch,  but  in  the  opinion  of 
able  engineers  the  difficulties  are  so  nearly  in- 
surmountable, that   this   is   least    likely   to   be 


WASHINGTON   TERRITORY.  221 

chosen  of  all  the  routes.  The  cut-off  from  Mis- 
soula to  Spokane  Falls  by  way  of  Lake  Coeur 
d'Alene,  seems  manifestly  the  best  route  for 
this  road,  that  is,  if  it  be  not  already  pre-empted 
by  the  Northern  Pacific ;  but  strong  reasons  are 
given  to  show  that  the  Northern  Pacific  will 
not,  and  cannot,  make  this  cross  line ;  in  which 
case,  we  might  almost  conclude  that  the  Mani- 
toba will  cross  here,  and  inevitably  join  the 
Seattle  road. 

The  only  other  crossing  left  would  be  the 
Lolo  Pass,  which  would  be  still  more  out  of 
their  direction,  and  would  give  them  no  better 
chance  for  an  independent  line  to  tidewater 
than  the  more  northern  routes.  The  fact  is, 
that  the  late  strategic  movement  of  the  Seattle 
railway  in  seizing  upon  the  key  to  the  Great 
Bend  country  made  it  master  of  the  situation. 


SUPPLEMENTARY    CHAPTER,    GIV- 
ING LATEST  INFORMATION. 

It  is  now  just  one  year  since  I  left  Wash- 
ington Territory,  and  I  am  glad  to  be  able  to 
Rapid  growth   report,  on  the  best  authority,  that  the  great  in- 
^  ,  ^"^^ ,,    terests    heretofore   described    have   pro2"ressed, 

Spokane  Falls.  r        o  ' 

some  of  them  with  accelerating  speed.  The 
city  of  Seattle  has  added  10,000  to  her  popu- 
lation, and  Spokane  Falls  5,000  to  hers. 

Mining  has  spread  its  area,  multiplied  its  dig- 
gings, and  gone  forward  at  every  point  amaz- 
ingly. Agriculture  during  the  past  year  has  not 
advanced  with  equal  rapidity.  This  is  easily 
accounted  for  by  the  influences  of  the  mines 
and  cities.  The  crops  were  fair,  but  not  as 
large  as  in  some  former  years  ;  but  no  fears  need 
be  entertained  with  regard  to  this  great  interest. 
The  trunk  line  of  the  Seattle,  Lake  Shore  & 
Eastern  Railway  will  cross  the  Cascade  Moun- 
the  iocatk)n"of  talus  at  Cady's  Pass  instead  of  at  Snoqualmie 

the  railroad.  •     .        , ,  .  i  /^ 

Pass  as  origmally  designed,  and  reach  the  Co- 
lumbia River  by  the  Wenatchie  Valley.  Cross- 
ing the  great  river  near  the  mouth  of  the  Wen- 
atchie, where  it  is  thought  that  a  city  will  be 
developed,  and  passing  along  the  northern  limb 


TV  A  SITING  TON   TERR  I  TOR  1 '. 


223 


of  the  Great  Bend  country,  it  will  connect  with 
the  other  end  of  the  road  which  is  now  under 
construction  to  Wheatland. 

A  report  from  Paul  F.  Mohr,  chief  engineer, 
in  regard  to  this  new  line,  is  embraced  in  this 
chapter.  Something  is  said  about  the  We- 
natchie  Valley,  also,  by  Mr.  Whitworth. 

But  the  original  line  is  by  no  means  aban- 
doned. It  has  probably  reached  Hop  Ranch 
before  this  time,  and  will  be  continued  through 
the  great  timber  belt,  passing  Salal  Prairie,  at 
least  as  far  as  the  iron  and  marble  beds  on  Mt. 
Logan.  No  doubt  in  time  the  road  will  cross 
Snoqualmie  Pass,  and  continue  to  the  mineral 
beds  on  the  Cle-ellum  and  elsewhere. 

I  have  obtained  the  following  interesting  and 
valuable  reports  from  Mr.  Whitworth,  who  has 
been  frequently  mentioned  in  this  report,  Mr. 
Routhe,  president  of  the  Board  of  Trade  of  the 
city  of  Spokane  Falls,  and  Paul  F.  Mohr,  Esq., 
chief  engineer. 

REPORT    FROM  F.   H.   WHITWORTH,   ESQ.,  CIVIL  AND 
MINING  ENGINEER  ON  SEATTLE,  ETC. 

Seattle,  W.  T.,  Oct.  2,  1888. 

I  now  proceed  to  answer  your  questions. 
I.   Present    population  of    Seattle,  and  com- 
mercial growth  ? 


224 


IV^  SHING  TON   TERR  I  TOR  V. 


Population    of 
Seattle. 


New  manufac- 
turing estab- 


New  steamers. 


A  census  was  taken  in  June  of  this  year,  and 
the  total  enrolled  was  1 9, 700.  I  presume  it  was 
safe  to  say  that  the  population  then  was  20,000, 
and  that  now  it  is  from  22,000  to  25,000,  for 
although  houses  have  been  built  very  rapidly, 
there  is  not  a  house,  or  a  room  hardly,  that  is 
not  occupied.  There  are  now  seven  brick- 
yards in  operation,  each  manufacturing  from 
10,000  to  50,000  per  day.  Two  boiler-works 
have  been  added  to  the  manufacturing  interests 
since  you  were  here.  Three  saw-mills,  besides 
four  on  the  line  of  the  Seattle,  Lake  Shore  & 
Eastern  Railway  between  here  and  Oilman,  have 
been  built,  and  all  have  more  than  they  can  do. 

A  new  fish-canning  establishment  has  been 
started,  and  is  in  successful  operation.  A  pile- 
creosoting  works,  an  extensive  shipyard  works, 
a  shingle  mill,  and  a  timber-preserving  works 
and  saw-mill  are  all  under  way  on  the  north 
side  of  Salmon   Bay. 

The  Alaskan  and  the  T.  J.  Potter,  two 
magnificent  steel  steamers,  and  the  Harry 
Bailey  and  Hassalo,  good-sized  passenger  steam- 
ers, besides  three  or  four  tugs,  and  an  ex- 
tra steamer  on  the  Alaska  route,  as  well  as  an 
extra  steamer  every  second  or  third  week  for 
freight  from  San  Francisco,  have  been  added  to 
the  Seattle  fleet  since  you  were  here. 


iron  company 
at  work. 


WASHINGTON    TERRITORY.  225 

2.  The  Moss  Bay  Company. 

There  seems  to  be  no  question  but  that  the 
location  on  the  eastern  shore  of  Lake  Wash- 
ins^ton  is  definite.     A  contract  has  l)cen   made         '^^^ 

c  iron  comi 

with  Denny,  and  with  those  holding  with 
Guy,  but  not  with  Guy  himself.  I  understand 
that  no  contract  has  been  made  with,  or  for,  any 
other  one,  although  Mr.  Kirk  has  been  and  is 
still  examining  all  other  places. 

Mr.  Kirk,  and  Mr.  Williams,  another  of  the 
firm,  are  living  on  the  grounds  at  Kirkland, 
and  have  a  force  of  men  preparing  the  grounds, 
the  position  of  the  different  buildings  having 
all  been  located.  Brick  and  other  material  is 
being  placed  on  the  ground. 

They  have  entered  into  contract  to  roll  for 
the  Seattle,  Lake  Shore  &  Eastern  Railway 
30,000  tons  steel  at  Kirkland,  to  be  delivered 
within  the  next  twelve  months.  They,  how- 
ever, will  bring  the  blooms  from  Moss  Bay 
for  this. 

Coke  is  the  fuel  Mr.  Kirk  wants,  and  thinks 
he  will  have.  But  I  do  not  think  that  the 
question  of  coke  supply  is  settled  yet.  Mr. 
Kirk's  property  that  we  visited  (Section  2)  is, 
so  far,  not  developing  as  they  had  hoped.  Mr. 
Kirk  has  disposed  of  his  interest  there.  The 
Smith  coking  ovens  that  we  visited  at  Wilke- 


Coking  coals. 


2  26  WASHINGTON    TERRITORY. 

son  are  still  producing  a  small  amount  of  coke. 
One  or  two  other  veins  have  been  opened  at 
Wilkeson  recently,  and  the  company  opening  are 
proposing  to  put  up  ovens,  and  work  and  coke 
their  coal.  It  probably  will  make  about  the 
same  quality  of  coke  as  the  Smith  mine.  The 
only  coal  that  has  been  analyzed  and  stands  that 
test  for  coke,  is  Section  34,  near  Kirk's  Sec- 
tion 2.  We  got  some  samples  of  it,  you  re- 
member. 

The  Snoqualmie  coal  has  been  taken  pos- 
session of  by  a  Mr.  Niblock,  who  talks  now  of 
going  to  work  to  open.  That,  you  know,  cokes 
well  in  the  open  air. 

The  following  is  the  cross-section  of  our  best 
veins  at  Ruffner,  or  Raging  River,  Section  16. 
Roof,  sandstone : 


Mixed  Coal  and  Slate 

FT. 
I 

INS. 
2 

Coal  (clean)    .... 
Rock           .... 

3 

I 

3 

Coal 

6 

Rock           .... 

. 

6 

Coal 

I 

^ 

Total,  coal,  4  ft.  10  in.,  rock,  9  in. ;  which 
seems  to  be  very  strong  coking  coal.  This 
bench  can  be  worked  to  advantage,  I  think. 

We  have  another,  also,  of  about  three  feet  of 
coal,  clean,  and  it  is  underlaid  with  three  feet  of 


WASHINGTON    TERRITORY.  22 7 

fire-clay,  which  probably  will  be  as  valuable  as 
coal.  I  have  burned  some  of  the  brick,  and 
sent  some  away  to  be  tested. 

No  further  discovery  has  been  made  in  the 
neighborhood  of  the  Denny  or  Guy  mines.  At 
the  "Chair  Peak"  Iron  Mines,  owned  by  Mr. 
Wilson,  Kelly,  et  al.,  as  they  have  examined 
further,  the  deposit  has  shown  itself  much  larger 
than  at  first  supposed.  It  is  about  two  and  a 
half  miles  from  the  Guy  lode,  on  Mt.  Logan. 

Some  quite  extensive  iron  deposits  have  been 
discovered  on  the  west  side  of  the  Sound,  nearly  New  discoveries 

of  iron  ore. 

due  west  from  Seattle.  They  have  not  yet  been 
analyzed. 

What  is  thought  to  be  a  very  rich  deposit  of 
iron  has  just  recently  been  found  on  one  of  the 
islands  in  the  San  Juan  group,  within  the  terri- 
tory of  the  United  States,  said  to  equal  the 
Texada  deposit  in  British  Columbia,  which  the 
iron  works  at  Irondale,  near  Point  Townsend, 
use.  The  Irondale  furnace  commenced  work 
again  about  a  month  since. 

In  regard  to  the  precious  metals :  there  have 
been  no  developments  of  importance  on  this 
side  of  the  mountain. 

The  Okanogan,  Salmon  River,  Coeur  d'Alene 
and  Colville  mines  promise  richer  and  richer 
as  they  are  more  developed. 


2  28  WASHINGTON    TERRITORY. 

Lumber  business       \.  Thc  activity  in  the  lumber  business  is  un- 
growing.       2i}o2Xtdi — is  on    the    increase.     The  increase  of 
the  lumber  mills,  that  I  have  mentioned  in  the 
first  part  of  this  letter,  indicates  that. 

The  traffic  on  the  railroad,  both  in  logs  and 
manufactured  lumber,  is  much  larger  than  had 
been  anticipated,  and  is  increasing.  In  July  the 
road  hauled  2,843,464  feet  of  logs.  September 
log  haul  was  about  ten  per  cent,  greater.  I 
could  not  get  the  exact  figures  to-day. 

Population. and  5'  Spokanc  Falls  is  still  growing  very  rapidly, 
^'cre^ing'""  and  now  claims  12,000  to  15,000  inhabitants, 
and  is  building  very  substantially.  Along  the 
line  of  railroad  on  this  side  of  the  mountain 
the  country  is  filling  up,  of  course,  with  small 
ranches  or  home-makers,  and  those  already  on 
the  line  are  making  increased  clearings,  and 
will  therefore  have  more  to  ship. 

The  following  shows  something  of  what  is 
being  done  in  July  :  "  Coal  freight,  2,750  tons ; 
miscellaneous,  3,090;  passenger  traffic,  $6,150; 
and  the  advance  has  been  about  the  same  as  in 
logs,  except  on  coal." 

[6.   Mr.  Whit  worth  next  gives  an  account  of 

Labor  strike  at  ccrtaln    difficultlcs   and    troubles,    chiefly    with 

Oilman  Mine.  .  ,    •     ,  i      i      •  •!        ))       i 

mmers,  which  ended  ma"  strike  that  was 
somewhat  prolonged,  but  he  thought  the  men 
would  soon  go  to  work  on  the  company's  terms. 


WASHINGTON    TERRITORY. 


229 


Of  course,  the  high  hopes  concerning  these 
mines  (Oilman)  had  not  been  reahzed.  Mr. 
W.  proceeds  as  follows  :] 

On  the  Smith,  or  No.  4  vein,  \vc  had  just     oilman  coai 

,  ■     .  .  seams. 

got  the  gangway  driven  far  enough  to  turn 
rooms.  The  Andrews  vein  we  were  driving 
the  gangway  entirely  in  the  coal,  but  were  not 
yet  far  enough  to  turn  rooms.  Nos.  i  and  2 
veins  had  gotten,  with  the  gangway,  well  in 
under  the  hill,  and  was  looking  very  fine,  and 
turning  out  good  coal.  With  the  prospect  of 
No.  4,  or  Smith  vein,  and  Andrews  vein,  I  am 
still  well  pleased.  On  the  vein  in  Section  26, 
just  across  the  valley,  I  have  started  in  a  tunnel 
to  open  it ;  have  already  driven  about  sixty 
feet  through  the  rock,  and  have  about  seventy 
feet  still  to  go.  This  tunnel  is  still  going  on, 
not  having  been  stopped  by  the  'strike.' 

The  West  Coast  Railroad  is  completed  to  progress  of  the 
Snohomish  City,  and  trains  run  regularly,  the  ^^RaliroaT' 
bridge  across  the  river  being  completed  only 
about  ten  days  ago.  Both  passenger  and  freight 
traffic  is  much  larger  than  anticipated.  They 
are  grading,  and  expect  to  have  ready  for  ser- 
vice yet  this  fall,  five  miles  beyond  Snohomish. 
Along  most  of  the  entire  line  the  timber  is  very 
fine  and  abundant,  and  a  great  deal  of  the  land 
adjacent  is  rich  agricultural. 


230  WASHINGTON    TERRITORY. 

Resources  7.   Conccming   the   new   line    across   Cady's 

along  the  new    Pass  and  down  Wenatchie  Valley. 

line  across  -' 

Cady's  Pass.         [After  some  remarks  respecting  grades,  etc., 
Mr.  Whitworth  proceeds  as  follows  :] 

On  this  [west]  side  of  the  mountain  [Cas- 
cade] the  timber  reaches  right  up  nearly  to  the 
summit,  as  in  the  Snoqualmie,  and  the  reports 
are  this  region  is  rich  in  coal,  and  probably  also 
in  iron,  with  some  indications  of  precious 
metals.  Soon  after  crossing  the  divide  the  line 
will  reach  the  very  rich  agricultural  valley  of 
the  Wenatchie,  which  is  called  "the  garden  of 
Eastern  Washington,"  and  traverse  its  entire 
length.  And  it  will  pass  within  a  comparatively 
short  distance  of  the  mineral  districts  on  the 
northern  slope  of  that  range  called  Mt.  Stuart. 
I  have  heard  that  there  were  numerous  in- 
dications of  coal  near  the  mouth  of  the  We- 
natchie on  both  sides  of  the  Columbia.  This,  too, 
will  be  the  nearest  main  line  to  the  rich  mineral 
district  of  Salmon  River,  or  Okanogan,  as  well 
as  all  that  northern  mineral  belt  which  extends 
to  the  Rockies,  and  will  strike  the  heart  of  the 
Big  Bend  wheat-fields.  It  will  also  be  eighty 
miles  shorter  than  the  other  line.  True,  Ellens- 
burgh  and  the  Cle-ellum  district  will  be  missed, 
but  I  think  this  will  be  more  than  compensated 
for  by  those  I  have  spoken  of. 


JVA  SHJNG  TON    TERR  I  TOR  V. 


2';i 


8.  Of  the  progress  of  the  work. 

On  this  side  of  the  mountains  no  work  except 
surveys  has  been  done  on  this  Hne.  At  Spo- 
kane Falls  the  bridge  across  the  river,  and  about 
forty  miles  of  track  is  finished,  and  they  are  now 
operating,  I  believe,  wnth  very  encouraging  pros- 
pects. On  the  Snoqualmie  line  they  are  push- 
ing on.  The  trains  now  run  regularly  to  Rag- 
ing River.  The  bridge  across  that  stream  is 
not  yet  completed,  but  \v\\\  probably  be  by  the 
ist  of  November,  and  it  is  expected  that  the 
trains  will  be  running  to  the  Hop  Ranch  by 
December  ist. 

The  branch  or  spur  up  Raging  River  to  the 
Ruffner  mine,  on  Section  i6,  is  located,  and  some 
little  work  has  been  done,  but  it  is  not  being 
prosecuted  at  present,  so  I  do  not  expect  we 
will  be  able  to  get  out  any  coal  from  there  be- 
fore next  spring  or  early  summer. 

Another  item  showing  the  prosperity  of  Seat- 
tle, is  the  opening  of  a  five-mile  circuit  of  cable 
road  to  Lake  Washington,  which  occurred  last 
Saturday.  I  will  send  you  some  papers  giving 
some  items  that  may  be  of  interest. 

A  syndicate  of  men  prominent  in  the  South- 
ern Pacific  Railroad  management  purchased 
Milton  Point,  the  land  directly  west,  across 
Seattle  Bay,  from  the  town,  and  are  clearing  it 


Profrress 

in  buildini;  the 

road. 


Cable   Railway 
in  Seattle. 


Southern  Pacific 

Railroad  sup- 
posed to  be  com- 
ing to  Seattle 
Harbor. 


232  WASHINGTON    TERRITORY. 

off,  and  say  they  will  make  extensive  improve- 
ments over  there  in  the  near  future.  They  are 
building  a  large  ferry  steamer,  and  have  a  fran- 
chise to  run  a  ferry  hourly  between  town  and 
the  front.  It  is  to  be  on  the  route  by  Decem- 
ber I  St.  Report  says  that  the  Southern  Pacific 
is  coming  in  there. 

At  Smith  Cove  quite  a  little  town  is  building 
up,  and  property  is  advancing  all  around  there. 


REPORT     FROM     E.    A.     ROUTHE,    ESQ.,    CONCERNING 
SPOKANE  FALLS,  ETC. 


Spokane  Falls,  Oct.  17,  i 

Growth  of  spo-  Our  city  has  progressed  in  growth  splendidly 
since  you  were  here.  There  are  now  fully 
13,000  inhabitants.  The  census  of  July  ist 
showed  12,000.  About  $1,500,000  have  been 
expended  in  buildings  this  year.  Eight  business 
blocks  of  brick  and  granite  have  been  built  this 
season.  One  of  these  cost  $  1 50,000.  Four  of 
these  blocks  are  three  stories,  three  are  four 
stories,  and  one  five  stories. 

Forty  miles  of  the  Seattle,  Lake  Shore  & 
Eastern  Railway  will  be  completed  between  here 
and  the  Big  Bend  by  December  ist.     The  iron, 


i 


WA  SHING  TO  A'    TERR  I  TORY. 


233 


tercst. 


engines  and  cars  are  nearly  all  here,  and  the 
farmers  in  Lincoln  County  are  greatly  rejoiced 
at  the  opportunity  for  shipping  their  grain  and 
stock  to  market. 

The  development  in  the  mines  this  year  has  Prodigious 
been  greater  than  all  the  work  done  hereto-  '^rhem'i^ngin-' 
fore.  The  gold  mines  near  Murray,  Idaho, 
have  yielded  beyond  the  hopes  of  all  inter- 
ested in  them.  I  saw  four  gold  bricks,  at  the 
First  National  Bank,  said  to  contain  $37,000. 
These  were  from  one  mine,  a  South  Fork  mine 
of  the  Coeur  d'Alene. 

The  Kootenai  country  is  now  reached  by 
steamer  after  leaving  the  Northern  Pacific  road 
at  Sand  Point.  A  good  deal  of  development 
work  is  progressing,  and  the  ore  is  being  shipped 
out  daily.  It  is  mostly  silver-bearing  galena. 
A  new  town  just  above  the  British  line  on  the 
Kootenai  Lake  has  been  started.  It  is  called 
"  Nelson."  I  shall  send  you  some  formulated 
data  at  an  early  date. 

The  crops  have  been  good,  though  not  so 
good  as  last  year.  Emigration  to  the  farming 
sections  does  not  come  in  as  fast  as  we  would 
like — in  fact,  not  as  rapidly  as  to  the  towns. 
I  think  it  will  be  better  after  the  election. 


2  34  WASHINGTON    TERRITORY. 

REPORT  FROM  PAUL  F.  MOHR,  ESQ.,  CHIEF  ENGINEER 
OF  THE  SEATTLE,  LAKE  SHORE  &  EASTERN  RAIL- 
WAY, CONCERNING  THE  CADY'S  PASS  AND  WENAT- 
CHIE  ROUTE. 


Spokane  Falls,  W.  T.,  Dec.  3,  i; 

The  following  is  a  report  of  the  proposed  line 
from  West  Coast  Branch  to  mouth  of  We- 
natchie  River : 

I.  engineering  features. 

Engineering  Thc  proposcd  llnc  will  leave  the  West  Coast 
ne^wroutl.^  Branch  at  a  point  six  miles  south  of  Snoho- 
mish City,  running  east,  crossing  the  Snohomish 
River  on  drawbridge  at  the  junction  of  the 
Snoqualmie  and  Skykomish  rivers  :  thence  up 
the  right  bank  of  Skykomish  on  a  i  per  cent. 
(52.8  feet  per  mile)  grade,  a  distance  of  forty 
miles  from  point  of  beginning.  Thirty-five  miles 
of  2  per  cent.  (105.6  feet  per  mile)  grade  carries 
the  line  to  Cady's  Pass  and  mouth  of  tunnel. 
The  tunnel  will  be  3,500  feet  long,  in  granite 
rock  ;  probably  little  or  no  lining  will  be  neces- 
sary. 

Descending  to  the  east  by  a  2  per  cent,  grade, 
following  the  Wenatchie  River,  a  distance  of 
twenty  miles.  Descending  and  level  grades 
alternate  for  the  next  twenty-five  miles,  where 
1,000  feet  of  tunneling  will  be  required  in  the 


IV A  SHING  TON    TERR  I  TOR  Y. 


235 


divide  between  the  Wenatchie  and  Chumstick 
rivers.  This  tunnel  saves  eight  miles  of  dis- 
tance in  the  following  eighteen  miles,  and  avoids 
entering  the  box  canon  of  the  Wenatchie,  a  diffi- 
cult and  expensive  piece  of  work. 

The  development  in  the  Chumstick  valley  is 
especially  easy.  Thence  into  the  Wenatchie 
valley  again,  on  a  i  per  cent,  grade,  a  distance 
of  twenty-seven  miles,  to  the  mouth  of  the 
Wenatchie  River. 

A  summary  of  the  distances  and  grades  shows 
a  very  prettily  balanced  scheme  for  operating 
cheaply  and  effectively. 


SUMMARY    OF    DISTANCES     AND 

GRADES. 

DISTANCE, 

,       GRADE. 

West  Coast  Branch  to  end  of  \% 

grade,           ....     40m. 

Xi% 

End  of  \%  grade  to  tunnel,     .        35m. 

X2% 

Tunnel  section,            .         .         .     3,500 

ft. 

Tunnel  to  foot  of  2%  grade,    .        20m. 

-2% 

Foot  of  2%  grade  to  Wenatchie     52m, 

— \%  (or  less.) 

The  introduction  of  i  per  cent,  grades,  though 
higher  than  the  water  grades  of  the  Wenatchie 
and  Skykomish  rivers,  is  justified  as  balanced 
against  the  2  per  cent,  mountain  grades  and 
the  saving  effected  thereby  in  the  bench  coun- 
try, which  prevails  along  both  rivers  mentioned. 

While  tunnel  is  being  driven,  a  4  per  cent. 


236  WASHTMGTOM    TERRITORY. 

cross-over  through  Cady's  Pass  can  be  cheaply 
put  in  if  necessar)\ 

II.    RESOURCES. 

Mr. Mohrs         Wcst  of   thc  Cascadc  Range  the  road  will 

account  of  the  ^' 

resources  of  the  p^ss  throup;h  a  dcnselv  wooded  district,  throu2:h 

new  route.  r  O  y  '  o 

which,  with  the  additional  aid  of  transportation 
facilities  by  river  now  existing,  an  immense 
logging  industry  will  be  created.  The  red  fir 
and  white  cedar  now  being  taken  out  are  supe- 
rior in  quality  to  those  of  any  section  of  this 
coast.  Each  mile  as  opened  will  therefore  be- 
come an  immediate  source  of  income.  Con- 
siderable prospects  and  discoveries  of  gold  and 
silver  have  already  been  found,  and  a  number 
of  men  are  now  at  work  making  such  develop- 
ments as  are  practicable  in  the  absence  of  trans- 
portation facilities.  With  the  opening  of  the 
road  a  heavy  mineral  traffic  will  be  developed 
in  the  future. 

Near  the  summit  large  deposits  of  iron  are 
sure  to  be  found,  judging  from  the  extraordi- 
nary local  magnetic  variations. 

Twenty  miles  west  of  the  summit  are  iron- 
soda  springs,  which  will  no  doubt  become  quite 
famous. 

East  of  the  Cascade  Summit  the  country 
tributary  to  the  road  is  covered  with  open,  fine 


WA  SHING  TON    TERRI  TOR  Y. 


237 


forests ;  the  timber  is  principally  second  growth 
yellow  and  black  pine,  in  tall  and  straight 
trees,  forming  very  valuable  timber.  This  pre- 
vails for  forty  miles  east  of  the  summit.  The 
remaining  country  to  the  mouth  of  the  We- 
natchie  River  is  rich  agricultural  land,  fairly  well 
settled  up  between  the  Cascade  Summit  and  the 
mouth  of  the  Wenatchie  River. 

Very  extensive  indications  of  coal  and  iron 
are  found ;  and  along  all  of  the  tributaries  of 
the  Wenatchie  considerable  deposits  of  precious 
metals  have  been  discovered,  w^hich  will  no 
doubt  be  rapidly  developed  in  the  future. 

This  entire  section  of  country  has  been  well 
known  to  miners  and  prospectors  for  the  past 
twenty  years,  but  the  total  lack  of  transporta- 
tion facilities  has  thus  far  prevented  any  con- 
siderable development  of  mining  properties. 

At  the  confluence  of  the  Wenatchie  River 
with  the  Columbia  River  (which  w^ill  likewise  be 
the  crossing  point  for  the  Seattle,  Lake  Shore 
&  Eastern  Railway)  we  find  the  Columbia 
River  is  navigable  as  far  up  as  the  Okanogan 
country.  A  large  city  is  destined  to  spring  up 
at  this  point,  which  will  control,  by  means  of 
the  Columbia  River,  a  very  extensive  tributary 
country. 

The  valleys  of  the  Entiat,  Chelan,  Methow, 


238  IVASHINGTON    TERRITORY. 

Okanogan,  and  other  rivers,  which  drain  an 
extraordinary  mineral  belt,  with  occasionally 
fine  districts  of  agi'icultural  land,  will  provide 
an  enormous  quantity  of  freight  for  the  road. 
None  of  this  freight  will  be  able  to  find  an 
outlet  except  by  this  road,  by  reason  of  the  fact 
that  very  swift  and  rocky  rapids,  which  begin 
about  twelve  miles  south  of  our  crossing  and 
continue  for  some  fifty  miles,  will  for  at  least  a 
great  many  years  prevent  practicable  or  profit- 
able navigation  to  points  below  our  crossing. 

III.   SCENERY. 

The  aesthetic  side  of  railroading  has  undoubt- 
edly a  large  commercial  value,  and  in  this  in- 
stance it  will  be  secured  without  additional  ex- 
pense. It  will  certainly  prove  a  valuable  factor 
in  the  obtainment  of  passenger  traffic.  From 
the  city  of  Seattle  to  the  Columbia  River  an 
ever  changing  succession  of  magnificent  and 
surprising  views  will  meet  the  eye  of  the  trav- 
eler. Indeed,  I  believe  that  the  scenic  attrac- 
tions of  the  Seattle,  Lake  Shore  &  Eastern 
Railway  will  stand  pre-eminent  among  all  the 
railroads  on  this  coast. 

Mr.  Mohr's  report  opens  up  a  region  almost 
unknown  heretofore,  which  is  shown  to  abound 


WASHINGTON    TERRITORY.  239 


in  the  finest  timber,  to  possess  superior  agricul- 
tural lands,  and  to  give  indications  of  rich  de- 
posits of  coal,  iron,  and  the  precious  metals. 

All  the  reports  I  have  seen  from  Washing- 
ton Territory  confirm  the  impressions  I  first 
received  in  regard  to  its  wonderful  resources. 

W.  H.  RUFFNER. 

Lexington,  Va.,  Dec.  13,  1880. 


Seattle,  W.  T.,  Jan.  9,   1889. 
Dr.  W.  H.  Ruffner. 

Dear  Sir  .-In  relation  to  your  request  for  such 
additional  data  as  may  be  of  interest  in  connection 
with  your  Report,  especially  such  data  as  relate 
to  the  changes  in  population  since  the  time  of 
your  visit  here  a  little  over  a  year  ago,  likewise 
relating  to  new  developments  in  the  plans  of 
the  Seattle,  Lake  Shore  &  Eastern  Railway  Co. 
and  other  matters  of  interest,  I  respectfully 
state  the  following : 

The  immigration  into  Washington  Territory 
since  December,  1887,  has  been  very  heavy, 
and  while  there  are  no  statistics  showing  the 
number  of   immigrants,   except   such    as  have 


240  WASHINGTON   TERRITORY. 

taken  up  their  residence  in  the  towns  and  cities, 
I  am,  I  feel  sure,  not  far  from  the  truth,  when 
I  estimate  their  number  at  65,000.  Of  this 
number, 


Spokane  Falls  has  received  about    . 

8,000 

Seattle 

10,000 

Tacoma              "          •'            " 

.       7,000 

The   remaining  number   may   be   assumed  to 
have  been  distributed  about  as  follows  : 

To  the  various  small  towns  east  of  the 

Cascade  Mountains  ....  7,500 
To  the  various  small  towns  west  of  the 

Cascade  Mountains  ....  6,000 
To  the  agricultural  and  mining  regions 

east  of  the  Cascade  Mountains.  .  16,000 
To  the  agricultural,  timber,  and  mining 

region  west  of  the  Cascade  Mountains  10,500 

The  usual  proportion  between  the  popula- 
tions of  country  and  towns  in  Western  States 
and  Territories  is  as  three  to  one  (roughly 
estimated)  ;  this  would  indicate  that  the  towns 
and  cities  have  received  more  than  their  fair 
proportion  of  the  entire  immigration,  and  this 
is  true.  The  consequence  will,  therefore,  un- 
doubtedly be  that  of  the  immense  immigration 
predicted  for  the  year  1889  a  correspondingly 
larger  percentage  will  reach  the  rich  agricultural, 


WASHINGTON    TERRITORY. 


241 


mineral,  and  timber  lands  of  Washington  Terri- 
tory, and  thus  restore  the  proper  balance. 

Since  Mr.  Whitworth's  report  and  yours,  an 
additional  cable  railroad  and  an  electric  street 
railway  have  been  started  at  Seattle,  and  quite 
a  number  of  new  enterprises  have  been  com- 
menced. 

At  Spokane  Falls  considerable  terminal  facili- 
ties for  the  Seattle,  Lake  Shore  &  Eastern 
Railway  have  been  added,  a  system  of  ware- 
house and  mill  tracks  has  been  agreed  upon  be- 
tween the  Northern  Pacific  Railroad  Co.  and 
the  Seattle,  Lake  Shore  &  Eastern  Railway 
Co.  to  be  built  and  operated  jointly  by  the  two 
companies,  a  new  cable  street  railroad  has  been 
projected  and  partly  built,  and  about  five  miles 
of  street  railway  has  been  placed  in  operation. 
Extensive  improvements  in  the  development 
of  the  water  power  are  in  progress,  several  new 
bridges  have  been  built,  and  a  general  air  of 
prosperity  pervades  the  place.  To  indicate  the 
importance  of  the  business  of  Spokane  Falls  it 
is  only  necessary  to  state  the  fact  that  this  city 
has  paid  nearly  $1,750,000  to  the  Northern 
Pacific  Railroad  during  the  year  1888  for 
freights  and  passages. 

The  Seattle,  Lake  Shore  &  Eastern  Railway 
Co.   has  decided  to   build  a  branch  line  from 


242  WASHINGTON    TERRITORY. 

some  point  near  the  crossing  of  the  Grand 
Coulee  to  the  Okanogan  mines  (Conconnully 
district),  about  seventy  miles,  work  to  be  com- 
menced as  soon  as  the  main  line  shall  be  com- 
pleted. This  feeder  will  command  a  very  exten- 
sive business,  perhaps  equal  to  the  enormous 
business  of  the  Coeur  d'Alene  mines  which  is 
now  enjoyed  by  the  Northern  Pacific  Railroad. 

Since  Mr.  Whitworth's  last  report  to  you, 
considerable  development  work  has  been  done 
upon  the  Grand  Ridge  mines  2^  miles  east  of 
Gilman  and  adjacent  to  our  railroad ;  the  vein 
developed  is  four  feet  thick  and  furnishes  a 
hard,  compact  coal,  superior  for  domestic  pur- 
poses to  any  coal  yet  found  in  that  section. 
Shipments  commenced  last  month,  and  the 
prospects  for  a  heavy  output  are  very  flattering. 

The  Spokane  Division  of  the  Seattle,  Lake 
Shore  &  Eastern  Railway,  extending  from 
Spokane  westwardly,  a  distance  of  forty-five 
miles,  is  practically  finished ;  trains  are  running 
regularly,  and  as  soon  as  our  motive-power  and 
cars  can  be  disengaged  from  the  work  of  "bal- 
lasting"  we   will    be   able   to  do  considerable 

business. 

Very  respectfully  yours, 

PAUL  F.  MOHR. 

CHIEF   ENGINEER. 


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